NOTES ON OUR HERONS. 229 



and one tenth inches of rain fell in these nineteen days, 

 and, as a consequence, there was a heavy summer freshet, 

 the meadows skirting the river being submerged to a 

 depth of from two to six feet. 



On the 14th a flock of thirty snowy egrets made their 

 appearance, keeping much together, avoiding the clumps 

 of tall trees, and at times associating very familiarly with: 

 a flock of domestic geese. Occasionally, the great blue 

 herons were seen in scanty numbers, either by themselves 

 or associated with the white herons, and every day there 

 were numbers of the small, blue herons, but these excited 

 no comment from those familiar with tlie locality, as they 

 are very abundant every year, and at all times. Indeed, 

 these the night-herons and great bitterns are fixtures 

 of our meadows, and not to see them would be far more 

 strange to " the folks at home " than is their appearance 

 to the stranger, who for the first time sees and hears 

 them, as they are fishing in, or flying over* the creek 

 near by. 



August 17th, a small flock of great, white egrets, or 

 herons, made their appearance, and associated familiarly 

 with the smaller, snowy egrets that had preceded them 

 by three days. A tract of level meadow, of some seventy 

 acres in extent, seemed particularly attractive to these 

 birds, and I had excellent opportunities for watching their 

 habits during their brief stay. 



It is proper here to mention that even fifty years ago 

 both of these white egrets or herons were much more 

 common along the Delaware River, from May to Septem- 

 ber, but they have now so far forsaken the neighborhood, 

 especially during the past twenty years, that their pres- 

 ence now excites surprise, even when single specimens 

 are seen " flying over." How great the change has been 

 since the settlement of the country by Europeans, can be 



