44 AGRICULTURAL] COLLEGE OP MICHIGAN. 



Blue Heron, in May; eggs three to six, pale blue. There are several of these, taken in 

 Ionia Co., in the collection of Mr. Levi Broas. 



GENUS NYCTICORAX STEPH. 



85-202-(664). Nycticorax nycticorax naevius (Bodd.). AMERICAN NIGHT HERON; 



BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON; SQUAWK; NIGHT RAVEN. 



Rare; taken on Chandler's marsh north of the college; "southern Michigan" 

 (A. H. Boies); "rare in Monroe Co." (Jerome Trombley); one taken in Lenawee Co. by 

 Dr. W. C. Brownell; one in collection of Levi Broas, taken in Ionia Co.; breeds; nests 

 in June, in colonies, in tres; C. S. Osborn of Sault Ste. Marie writes me that there is 

 a'great colony on Espanore Island at the mouth of St. Mary's River. The Indians 

 and fishermen eat the eggs. He has seen over one hundred nests there in the Birch 

 and Balsam trees, the same nests are used over and over year after year. He adds 

 these may possibly be the Great Blue Heron; eggs four, occasionally five or six; 

 "three or four" (L. S. Foster), bluish; young birds in atumn said to be of good flavor 

 and prized for the table. 



ORDER PALUDICOL.E, CRANES; RAILS, ETC. 

 SUBORDER GEUES. CRANES. 



FAMILY GRUID^B. CRANES. 



Fine robust birds; feed on rootlets, grasses, grains, reptiles, toads, frogs, etc. 



GENUS GRUS PALL. 



$6-204- -(668). Grus americana (Linn.). WHOOPING CRANE; WHITE CRANE. 



Very rare; probably accidental if it occur at all; Covert says "very irregular visitor 

 at Ann Arbor;" " occasionally seen both singly and in flocks of ten or twelve about 

 marshes at Manchester, Waehtenaw county, where in has been killed repeatedly" 

 (L. W. Watkins); were these not mistaken identifications? "they probably were" (Dr. 

 A. K. Fisher); northern Indiana (Butler's Birds of Indiana). 



87-205-(669). Grus canadensis (Linn.). LITTLE BROWN CRANE. 



" Transient visitor of the Upper Peninsula " (H. Nehrling); "doubtful" (Dr. A. K. 

 F.isher). 



88-206-(670). Grus mexicana (MulL). * SANDHILL CRANE. 



Common; southern Michigan, Mar. to Oct.; more common near marshes; Judge J. H. 

 Steere of Sault Ste. Marie reports this species from the Upper Peninsula; " Keweenaw 

 point " (Kneeland); breeds; Dr. Atkins took a nest at Locke, June 18, 1879; "not rare 

 and breeds ^ in marshes in Monroe county" (Jerome Trombley); "never seen now in 

 Kalamazoo county" (Dr. M. Gibbs); nests in June on old sedges, on the ground; " nests 

 at Sauger Lake, Shiawassee county" (Dr. W. C. Brownell); eggs two, drab, specked 

 and spotted with brown. We have taken several of these birds here, old and young, 

 which are now preserved in the museum. Mr. L. W. Watkins informs me that they 

 appear often in Jackson county near small lakes, in large flocks of 100 or more, in Oct. 

 and Nov., where they feed extensively on corn, shelling and eating it after it is cut. A 

 young one was reared by Mr. Watkins until two years of age. They are prized by some 



