Jan. 1887.] 



A^^D OOLOGIST. 



Summer Birds of Heron Lake. 



IJY THOMAS StlLl.EU. 



One diiy early in May last, I left home to go 

 and visit a large Heronry situated in the adja- 

 cent swamp that environs the south end of 

 North Heron Lake, for Heron Lake is divided 

 into two parts by a strip of dry land about half 

 a mile wide north of which lies an extensive 

 swamp skirting the south end of North Heron 

 Lake. In this the Herons breed and rear their 

 young. This swamp contains many small open 

 sloughs, vaiyiug in size from half an acre up to 

 some containing fifty acres. This is the favor- 

 ite nesting place of all kinds of water fowl, 

 from a Green-winged teal up to a Goose in 

 size, including the rather rare Kuddy Duck, 

 Erismatiira rubida. 



In this swamp among the canes which grow 

 from seven to ten feet high, a large colony of 

 the Black-crowned Night Heron, (yijctiardea 

 (jrisea luvvia) make their home year after year. 

 I first made their acquaintance in the fall of 

 1884, while shooting Mallard in September, but 

 by that time of course their marital labors had 

 come to an end, and they were enjoying their 

 otium cum dianitate previous to their departure 

 for their winter home. 



The number of nests is very great, each being 

 raised two or three feet above the water by 

 pieces of dead cane being laid horizontal!}- one 

 above another — the top being about fifteen 

 inches in diameter, some, of course being less, 

 and some perhaps more. The top is depressed 

 a little to make it capable of holding tlie eggs, 

 which are usuallj"^ from three to five in number. 

 Four seems to be the most common clutch. In 

 size they area shade larger than the Blue-wing- 

 ed Teal, and light blue in color. 



The nests are usually built among the canes, 

 where the water is from six inches to eighteen 

 inches in depth, and sometimes they are not 

 over five to six feet apart. This year on visit- 

 ing them I found them in greater numbers than 

 last, a great many new nests having been con- 

 structed and all of the old ones occupied. On 

 my way f i-om my boat through the canes to the 

 Heroni'y I made an interesting discovery. At 

 one hundred and fifty yards from the lake shore 

 where I left the boat, I struck a small pond of 

 open water, fringed by last year's sedge and 

 canes. On nearing some canes, a Canvas-back 

 (female) flew out and winged her way to a 

 small bay lying south east ; a favorite feeding 

 ground of Canvas-backs. On going towards 

 the bunch she flew out of, I found a nest of 



eight eggs built on top of some of last year 

 sedge, in water about knee deep. 



By this time I had approached some Heron's 

 nests and they were filling the air with their 

 discordant (piawk, and some were dropping into 

 their nests again not over thirty feet from me. 

 — ni}' presence seeming to disturb them ver\' 

 little. If not too much noise is made, oid}' 

 those ten to twenty yards distant remain in 

 the air after the first alarm — all the others 

 drop into their nests and go on with the hattrh- 

 ing process. 



1 noticed not over one in twenty nests had 

 five eggs; a few had two and three, and the 

 bnik four. 



The adult bird in Spring plumage is very 

 handsome. The white occipital plumes give 

 him a very striking appearance contrasted with 

 his large staring eyes and powerful beak. This 

 colony must contain from ir)00 to 2000 nests, 

 and their owners can be seen in the evening 

 winging their way to every slough and pond 

 for miles around. I often sit at the door on a 

 Summer evening and watch them flying over 

 the duck pass — on their way to the extensive 

 marsh lying on the north and east side of the 

 house — for a feed of fish and frogs. They 

 usually go in bunches of from two to eight. 

 The Red-winged Blackbird (Afjelaius 2)hoe)ii- 

 cene) often gives him a drublnng for ventur- 

 ing near his nest and poor Mr. Heron has to 

 take it and get away as fast as he can. 



Their departure in the Fall and arrival in the 

 Spring is nearly coincident with that of the 

 bulk of the ducks. Last Fall I noticed some 

 away into the middle of November. I think 

 they must have been shot at and hurt, for at 

 that time it was ([uite cold. 



Remarkable Nesting of the Ground 

 Dove. 



Mr. Arthur T. Wayne writes that on October 

 19th, 1886, he took a set of eggs (two in num- 

 ber) of the Ground Dove, Chmmepelia passerina, 

 near Charleston, S. 0., containing small end^rj- 

 os ; and secured the male bird while incubating. 



Mr. Wayne continues: "I can hardly under- 

 stand why they are breeding now, as they only 

 breed in April, May and June — never latei*. I 

 think it extraordinar}\" 



If the above statement came from a less well- 

 known gentleman than Mr. Wayne it might well 

 l)e doubted ; but the discoverer of the nesting 

 place of Swainson's Warbler, Helonma swain- 

 soni, besides being a celebrated collector, is a 

 gentleman whose ^\'ord can be implicitly relied 

 upon. — -/. P. N. 



