ZOOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT. 43 



SO 194--(t>o5>. Ardea herodias Linn. * GREAT BLUE HERON. 



Very common; throughout the state; -'Grand Traverse county, where there is a 

 heronry" (Dr. M. L. Leachj; "common at Iron Mountain " (E. E. Brewsteri: breeds in 

 colonies; nests in May, in tall trees, near marshes; " sticks in nests sometimes one inch 

 in diamater and five feet long" (Prof. J. W. Simmons); Dr. W. C. Brownell knows of 

 three heronries near Morrice, Shiawassee county. He says the stench is terrible at 

 nesting time. There are often six nests in a tree. The trees, he says, are sure to die: 

 eggs four to six, blue; S. E. White took three nests with five, one with six and one 

 with seven eggs from one tree. May 2, 1881. There was a large heronry just west of 

 Lansing for years. The nests, which were numerous, were in large sycamores which 

 stood in a large marsh. I secured several birds and eggs from this place. Dr. Steere 

 reports heronries in black ash swamps about Ann Arbor. " Heronries are quite com- 

 mon in Southwestern Michigan. The birds fish three times daily. I have taken 

 thirty-five minnows, from two to four inches long, from the stomach of one of these 

 birds" (J. W. Simmons). C. B. Cook took a fish that was twelve inches long and 

 weighed over one pound from the stomach of a Heron. These birds are often very 

 fearless. I have often walked to within a rod or two of a bird before it would fly. 



81-196-(658). Ardea egretta Gmel. AMERICAN EGRET: GREAT WHITE HERON; 

 GREAT WHITE EGRET. 



Very rare; wanderer from the south; A. H. Boies reports it from Lenawee, Hills 

 dale, St. Joseph and Jackson counties; Jerome Trombley reports it from Monroe Co., 

 where he took one in 1889; "occasionally abundant in July and August, undoubtedly 

 breeds in the state, but where?" (Dr. M. Gibbs); '-quite common in late summer in 

 Wayne county, where they are taken half grown, but who knows where they breed r " 

 (Dr. W. C. Brownell); we had one in our museum taken from Jackson Co.; one taken 

 by J. B. Purdy at Plymouth and now in his cabinet; two taken at Greenville, Mont- 

 calm Co., in 1890 by Prof. Jas. Satterlee; Dr. Atkins does not mention this bird: 

 "breeds in Northern Wisconsin and without doubt in the Northern Peninsula of 

 Michigan (Prof. Ludvvig Kumleih); doubtless breeds in Northern Indiana (Butler's 

 Birds of Indiana); this species is given in Sager's list of 1839. There is a fine specimen 

 in the collection of Mr. Levi Broas, taken in Ionia county. 

 82-197-(669). Ardea candidissinia Gmel. SNOWY HERON: LITTLE WHITE EGRET. 



Very rare; wanderer from the south: -'a rare accidental visitor during July and 

 August, does not breed "' (Dr. M. Gibbs). 



S3-199-(660). Ardea tricolor ruficollis Gosse. LOUISIANA HERON; LOUISIANA EGRET: 

 LADY OF THE WATERS. 



Exceedingly rare; summer wanderer from the South; one specimen reported by 

 E. L. Moseley in the catalogue of the Kent Scientific Institute at Grand Rapids; one 

 reported by A. H. Boies from Lsnawee Co.; one reported from northern Indiana 

 (Butler's Birds of Indiana): Dr. M. Gibbs thinks this bird should be omitted from the 



list. 



84-201-(663). Ardea viresceiis Linn. GREEN HERON: FLY UP THE CREEK. 



Common: "throughout the State " (A. H Boies); summer resident; two killed on 

 college farm in May; " common at Ann Arbor r ' (Dr. J. B. Steere); " common in Monroe 

 Co." (Jerome Trombley); "Keweenaw Point" (Kneeland); found nesting at Plymouth 

 by J. B. Purdy: often quite tame: breeds: nests often in small colonies as does the Great 



