August, 1885.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



117 



Our Three Herons. 



BY E. C. W. 



As thu result of a visit to ii Heronry in June, 

 1884, my brotliers aud I became the po.ssessors of 

 three Little Blue llerons. They were but partly 

 fledged when wc deprived their parents of them, 

 and took them under our care and protection. 

 We fed them freely on raw beef, of which tliey 

 were very fond. They grew rapidly, and were 

 soon fledged in snowy white plumage througli- 

 out, except the black primaries. 



As they progressed towards adolescence, each 

 one began developing characteristics and a dispo- 

 sition; so that they were early distinguishable by 

 their mien and behavior. 



I introduce them .successively, as to their vigor, 

 as Unas, Duo, and Tres. They were all three 

 more or less pugnacious; but my favorite, Unus, 

 like invincible John L. Sullivan, held the cham- 

 pionship. His irascible temper caused his brother 

 Herons to hold aloof from him. Duo was rash 

 enough one night to attempt to share the part of 

 the roost that Unus occupied, and, as a conse- 

 ciuence, Duo withdrew from the combat that en- 

 sued with bis crest deplumed. He did not limit 

 his disputes to his brother Herons alone, but had 

 frequent contests with the pigeons and chickens 

 that were denizens of the same yard, and was 

 always victorious. With feathers erected, wings 

 partly open, head raised to its utmost, and his 

 amber-yellow eyes expressive of fierce anger, he 

 advanced to the combat and met the attacks of 

 his adversary by bringing his long bill vehement- 

 ly down on him, causing the feathers to lly — aud 

 his adversary likewise. He allowed no children 

 to approach him, and would boldly attack them. 

 Unus was very fond of me. Whenever he saw 

 me approaching, he would ha.sten to my side, 

 uttering incessantly, meanwhile, "keedlekcedle- 

 keedle." During my absence from home for a 

 few weeks, he anxiously looked for my return. 

 He daily searched for me in my accustomed 

 places, and not finding me, mounted to a roof 

 and expectantly watched for my coming. It was 

 during this time that he one day had a scuffle 

 with Tres, resulting in their losing their balance 

 anil falling into a cistern of water. Unus saved 

 him.self by using Tres as a raft, thereby drown- 

 ing the latter. On my arrival home Unus was 

 overjoyed to see me, and expressed his delight liy 

 caressing my shoes with his bill. 



In September and October the two lemainiug 

 Herons would daily station themselves on the 

 roof of an old house. This was for the purpose 

 of watching the Night Herons pass by every 



morning and evening. The grating cry of these 

 birds as they winged their way overhead, were 

 answered by our Herons on the house-toi). Al- 

 though interested in the flight of the Night 

 Herons, they never attempted to leave us. 



I found Unus dead one day last January, on 

 the edge of the bayou near which wc live. The 

 air was chill, aud while standing on a plank that 

 extends a little over the water from the bank, he 

 probably fell in aud before he could reach terra 

 firma was overcome by cold and drowned. 



Only one of the three Herons now remains to 

 us. When himgry he stalks down to the bayou, 

 catches and makes a meal of souie of the inhabit- 

 ants of the grassy shallows. He wades cautious- 

 ly lest he alarm the prey. Espying a minnow or 

 crayfish among the grasses lie stretches his long 

 neck out at an obtuse angle, then launches his 

 bill at the object of his aim, seizes and devours 

 it. He is, also, an adept at catching flies, as were 

 also the other two Herons. If not fishing he sta- 

 tions himself sentinel-like on a shed that com- 

 mands a view of the bayou, and any commotion 

 in the water below will call forth loud admonito- 

 ry squawks from him. 



The change of his plumage began last Decem- 

 ber, and he has now nearly all of his slate-blue 

 feathers, only a few light ones remaining, which 

 are fast becoming blue, and a few weeks hence 

 will find him clothed in tlic complete dress of the 

 adult of his species. 



Spring Shore Bird Migration at Cape 

 Cod, 1885. 



BY J. C. CAnOON. 



Monomoy island at which the following notis 

 were taken, is a sandy island situated about south- 

 west from the bend or elbow of the southeast 

 l)art of Cape Cod, at which is located the town 

 of Chalham. The island is eight miles long, and 

 one-half mile wide at its greatest extent. lis 

 greatest altitude from the level of the water is 

 about thirty feet. The island is covered with a 

 coarse grass, moss, ivy, and beach plum bushes. 

 In several low wet places there are small swaups. 

 The island was originally connected with the 

 mamland, but is now separated by a pass. At 

 the north end of the eastern part of the island, 

 is another smaller island, which is separated from 

 the main island at high tide, but is connected by 

 dry flats at low. On the small island are three 

 houses owned by three branting clubs, Boston, 

 Providence aud Manchester. To the north and 

 west are flats, which extend for miles and miles. 

 These flats are covered with several feet of water 



