ONTARIO. 



HAB. North America, from the Arctic regions southward to the West 

 Indies and Northern South America. 



Nests usually in trees, sometimes in rocks. 

 Eggs 2 or 3 ; elliptical light, dull greenish-blue. 



As the Great Blue Heron breeds in communities it is not 

 often seen during the summer except in the vicinity of the 

 Heronry. In the fall when the young birds are able to shift for 

 themselves they disperse over the country, their tall gaunt 

 figures being often seen standing motionless watching for eels 

 by the shore of some muddy creek. In the report of the ornith- 

 ological branch of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club, for 1883, 

 is a most interesting account of a visit paid by a number cf 

 members of the club to a Heronry situated on the bank of the 

 river about 25 miles from the city ; limited space will admit only 

 of a short extract, as follows : " The Heronry is located in the 

 centre of a thick swamp which, on the occasion of our first visit 

 was so deeply submerged as to bar all ingress. On the igth of 

 July, however, the water was but knee deep. After proceeding 

 about half a mile into the swamp our attention was arrested by 

 a peculiar sound which we at first thought proceeded from some 

 distant saw-mill or steamer on the river. As we advanced, how- 

 ever, the sound resolved itself into the most extraordinary noises, 

 some of which resembled the yelping of dogs or foxes. On 

 penetrating still deeper into the swamp, we discovered that the 

 noises proceeded from immense numbers of Herons, some 

 perched on branches of trees, some sitting on the nests and 

 others flying overhead. The uproar was almost deafening 

 and the odor arising from the filth with which the trees and 

 ground was covered was extremely disagreeable. We tramped 

 all through the Heronry and calculated that it must extend 

 about half a mile in each direction. The nests were all of the 

 same pattern, great cumbersome piles of sticks, about a foot 

 thick, with but a very shallow cavity and no lining. 



" The birds were very tame, making no attempt to fly until we 

 began to climb the trees on which they were ; and even then 

 they moved lazily off and manifested little or no alarm at our 

 near approach to their young." 



77 



