154 HERONS, STORKS, AND IBISES 



and are handsome birds. Tlieir distinguishing marks are: 

 thick bodies, and short, thick necks; short legs (for herons), 

 and two or three round, wisp-like plumes from five to seven 

 inches long growing out of the top of the head, and drooping 

 backward. 



The Snowy Heron, or Snowy Egret, 1 when fully adult, 

 is one of the most beautiful white birds in all the avian world. 

 Its form is the embodiment of symmetry and grace, its plu- 

 mage is immaculate, and the filmy "plumes" on its head and 

 back are like spun glass. Its black legs and bill merely serve 

 to intensify the whiteness of its feathers. 



But the vanity of women has been the curse of the Snowy 

 Egret. Its plumes are finest during the breeding season, and 

 it was then that the hunters sought them, slaughtering the 

 parent birds in the rookeries by thousands (when they were 

 abundant), and leaving the nestlings to die of starvation. 

 If all women could know the price in blood and suffering 

 which is paid for the 'white badge of cruelty," surely but 

 few could find any pleasure in wearing them. It is strange 

 that civilized woman — the tender-hearted, the philanthropic 

 and compassionate — should prove to be the evil genius of the 

 world's most beautiful birds. 



In Florida, this bird once lived and bred, in thousands, 

 on the headwaters of the St. Johns, around the Everglades, 

 and the heads of the streams that run down to the sea. At 

 the first shot fired in a rookery, a white cloud would arise, 

 and old residents tell how "the savannas were sometimes 

 white" with these beautiful creatures. In Florida and else- 



1 E-gret'ta can-di-dis' si-ma. Length, about 23 inches. 



