AKnKin.M — Till", IIKKON'S— DICIIROMAN'ASSA. 37 



Tlu> flij,'lit of this HiK'cit'M is saiil to Im' more olcvatod and it'K'uliir than that of tin- 

 KiiiiilU'r lli'roiin. It is lUTuliarly Knuu-fnl UiiriiiK tlic matiii^ Hcasoii, t'spccially when 

 uiii' \iiiiiiiiti'cl iiiiili' is pmsiiinj,' aimtlifr. It is said to pass thnm^rli tin- air witii j,'ri'at 

 ci'lcritv. tiiriiiiiK and cutting,' alimit in ciiriiiiis cnrvt's and zigzag's, tiu! pursiiinj,' i)ird 

 tri'iiiicntiy froctin^ its l)i'antiiiil ircst and nttfrinj,' a cry at tlic moment it is al)oiit to 

 ;;ivt' a tiirnst at thf otiicr. Wlu-n travelling' to and from tiieir feedinj,'-(,'ronndH, it 

 picipels itself with the usnal ii ','idar tlappin;,'. and in the cnstoniary manner of 

 liiL;iit of other Herons. < >n ai)proaehin^' a landin^'-plaee, it performs several eircnm- 

 vohitioiis. as if to satisfy itself that all is safe before ali^'htin^. It is niiieli more shy 

 and wary than the smaller Herons; and after the hreedinj,' season is over it is almost 

 iiiipossil)le to shoot one, except when it is taken hy surprise, or when Hyinj; overhead 

 anion;,' the nian},'roves. 



Aiidnlxin re;,'ariled the two forms as identical, and mentions tindinj,' them in what 

 he ro;,'arded their mature and their immaturt! conditions, breeding,' to^'ether. At this 

 time, id jjassin},' and repassing they are said to utter [leenliar rough sounds which it 

 is inipossibhi to descrihe. He states that their nests are phiced for the most part on 

 tlie southwestern sides of the mangroves inuuediately bordering the Keys. Tliey are 

 rarely near together, and in'ver on trees at a distance from the water. Some are 

 ]ilaced on the tops of the mangroves, other.s only a foot or two above high-water 

 mark. The nest is (piite flat, is large for the i)ird, and formed of dry !itick.s inter- 

 spersed with grass and leaves. The eggs are usually throe in number, average an 

 incli and three (piarters in length, and one and three eightlis in In'eadth, iiaving an 

 elliptical form, and are of a uniform pale sea-green color; they are ex(;ellent eating, 

 iioth birds incubate, as is the ease with all Herons. 



lu its habits it seems to l)e as strictly marine as the Great White Heron. When 

 wounded, it strikes with its bill, scratches with it.s claws, and, tlu'owing itself on its 

 hack, emits its rough and harsh notes, keeping its crest erected and expanded, and its 

 featiiers swollen. 



Mr. \. I>. .Moore, of Manatet', Florida, is of the opinion that Peale's Egret and tlie 

 Reddish Egret are identical as species. He does not think, with Audubon, tliat the 

 wliite form is the young bird and the recldish the adult, but that old and ycmng may 

 he white like the I'lulrl, l>luc and reddish like the nifcirms, or may exist iii a pied 

 form. On the liith of .luly he found a nest, where the jjarents were in the plumage 

 of nifi'svens, one of the young pure white, the other a blue or gray bird. The nest 

 was in a mangrove tree on a wet Key, and was the only Heron's nest there. Both 

 pait'uts were seen. The young were taken, and the attempt was made to keep tliem 

 alive in ordar to watch their change of plumage; but it was not successful. Except 

 in the color of the down, the young birds were alike in many respects — e.g. the bluish- 

 ash color of the skin, the proportions and color of the eyes, etc. 



^Ir. Moore has twice met with specimens of })ied, or white and blue varieties of 

 this species, and feels (piite positive that the white bird is an unchanging variety 

 of the Reddish Egret, and that the pied varieties are equally permanent in their 

 plumage. The young bird in the white plumage renuiins the same for at least 

 twenty-two months, as is proved by the one kept by Dr. IJacihnmn. 



The fact that Dr. Gambel has seen the young of the nifrscens in purple plumage, 

 while it does controvert Audubon's views that the young are always white, by no 

 means necessarily shows that none of the young are white, or that a large portion 

 may not be so. 



Mr. Moore refers to the peculiar petulance displayed by all Herons while feeding, 

 and which is only manifested towards their own species. Several Herons, each of 



