AHDFID.K — TIIK IIKKONS - Hn'OKinKfl. 



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silfiitly iiml mIowI.v, iit times iittt'i-iiij; a nuttiiial ciKiikiiiK Hrrcuni, n«'i"'nill} iilinlitiii^ 

 a^iiiii at a Hliort ilistame. It' it liiili'H in a tri'c, it HitH nu <iuictly tliat it can only with 

 (litticulty Im- (li.stin>,'iiisiii'il tnmi the tnliiif,'c. It is ^'iicrally iinsus|iiriuiis. ami easily 

 ,>li(it. It usually leeds in the twilinht, is sluKKish, ami rests in the day. Its lodd 

 ninsists III' inseets, aijuatie larva', erustaeea, and small tishes ; althuugh sometimes 

 eati-hinn larj,'er ones, which it tlu-n lireaks in piece's. 



Mr, Salvin found it quire coiumon in (iuatenuda, Iwitli on all the rivers alonj; the 

 coast, amoii<; the mangrove swam|)s, and in the interior. Aliout the Lake of Duei'ias 

 it was till- most common s|M'cies ol lleion. It is mentioned hy the Newtons aH very 

 common in St. Croix, where it is cs|Mcially tyrannized over hy the Ti/nniiiiis i/oniliii- 

 iiiimIh. MeiuK of a mild and inoffensive disposition, it oidy protests against these 

 attacks hy a few loud and hoarse croaks, and then drops into the nearest covert fiu- 

 shelter. The common IIumming-l)ird of the island, h'ii/iinij)l/i r/i/Dro/irmiin, also gives 

 cliasc to it, and compels it to change the direction (d' its flight. This iiird hreeds in 

 St. Croix from .Mandi to duly, a.il has two lnoods in the year. The nest is generally 

 placed in a tall tree, near dwelling-houses; for this i)ird seoniH to seek the society 

 and protection of num. The stomach of one that had heen shot was found to contain 

 live lizards, outf of them of good size, oiu! large cricket, with the remains of hectics. 

 The young in the down were hlack. Mr. E. C. Taylor I'ouml that this species was 

 comnnin in Trinidad, and also in all tho other West India Islands he visited, 

 licotaud st.ites that it is frcipu-ntly met with in Trinidad, where it keeps itself 

 among the reeds that cover the overflowed places, ami, at other times, among the 

 mangrove trees. Its food, for which it .searches in the night, is generally tho same 

 as that of the larger Herons. Whenever ohserved in the daytime, it seenu'd to he 

 plunged into a jirofouml sleep. It is a resident of Trinidad, and iireeds there. 



In .Jamaica this hird is known us the (JralH'atchcr. According to ffOs.se, it is 

 found on that island wherever there is running water, and most ahundantly where 

 the streams e.\pand into hroad reedy pools. It is descrihed as perfectly solitary in 

 its haliits, and usually too wary to allow a near a|tproa(!h. When wounded so as to 

 lie uuahle to fly, it seeks to escape hy running, which it does very swiftly, its neck at 

 llic time projecting horizontally, and at intervals it utters a hiw cluck. Its ordinary 

 call is a loud scream, harsh and guttural. 



According to tJiraud, this Heron is not so ahundant on Long Island as it is in 

 numy places in the interior. It arrives about tlu( middle of April, and fretpients low 

 and marshy situations. It hunts hy day .as well as hy night, and shows a great deal 

 of achlress in taking its jirey, feeding on frogs, lizards, and various small reptiles 

 such as are found in low hoggy grounds. It visits the neighboring mill-ixuids and 

 creeks, is a dexterous fisher, anil at times darts down after snuill eels, with which it 

 mounts in the air. Occasionally, as if tor amusement, this Heron drops its prey 

 — catching it again, however, before it reaches the ground. 



Wilson states that this Heron builds its nest as early as the 2()th of Ajtril, usually 

 in single pairs, but sometimes in companies. This we have never known it to do. 

 It is freipiently seen in company with the Night Heron, and, at the South, with other 

 species ; but it must be very unusual for two jiairs of this bird to be found nesting 

 in (company. The uest is fixed among the branches of trees, is constructed of small 

 sticks lined with finer twigs, and is of considerable size, and very loosely ]mt 

 together. The young do not leavi* the nest until they are able to Hy, and, until late 

 in the autumn, are to be seen in the meadows and marshes. 



A few of this species winter in Florida and Lower Louisiana, where some also 

 reside all the year ; but the majority retire southwards, beyond our limits. These 



