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136 



HERONS AND BITTERNS. 



color of their legs and feet serves as a distinguishing character at sonio 

 distance. They are silent when feeding, but when undisturbed in their 

 rookeries each bird seems to have something to say, and the result is u 

 strange chorus of croaking voices. They feed by day, and generally 

 wait for their prey to come within striking distance. 



S01« Ardea vix^scens Linn. Little Gkkkn IIerox; 1\>kk (sec 

 Fig. I'J). Ad. — Crown and a sliort line below tlie eye glossy greenish black ; 

 throat butty white, this color extending down the foreneek us a narrow linu 

 mixed with blackish, widening on the breast; rest of the head and neck 

 rufous-chestnut glossed with vinaceous; back, with lengthened interscapulars, 

 green, more or less washed with bluish gray ; wing-coverts green, margined 

 with white or butly ; belly ashy gray, more or less washed with buHy. Jm. — 

 Similar, but with the neck and untler parts streaked with blackish ; back 

 without lengtiiened featliers or wash of blue-gray ; wing -coverts widely mar- 

 gined with butty ochraceous. L., 17*00; W., 7"^i); Tar., 1-90; B., 2-00. 



Ji'anije. — Tropical and temperate America; breeds us far nt>rtli as Mani- 

 toba, Ontario, and the liay of Fuiidy; winters from Florida southward. 



Wasliington, very common S. K., Apl. 15 to Sept. Long Island, conunon 

 S. K., Apl. to Oct. Sing Sing, common S. K., Apl. 6 to Sept. 2(j. Cambridge, 

 couunon S. li.. May 5 to Sei>t. 



Aed, a platf(jrni of sticks in a bush or low brunch of a tree. I^i/gs, three 

 to six, pule, dull blue, rr)0 x 1-14. 



The shores of wooded streams or ponds are frequented by this small 

 Heron in preference to more exposed situations. It is most active in 

 the early morning or at nightfall, and during the day rests quietly in 

 some sheltered situation. When startled, it springs into the air with a 

 frightened sqvnivh; and, alighting at a safe distance on a tree or on 

 some elevated perch, with upstretched neck watches the intruder, be- 

 traying its apprehension by nervous twitchings of the tail. It is a 

 solitary bird, and, unlike most Herons, is never found in flocks. 



202. Nycticorax nycticoraz nsBvius {Bodd.). Rla( K-ruowNKn 

 Nionr Hkkon; Qiawk. Ad. — Forehead, lores, neck, and muler parts wliite 

 or wliitisli ; crown, upper back, and scapulars glossy, greenisli black; lower 

 liack. wings, and tail asliy gray ; legs and feet yellow ; lore greenish ; two (>r 

 three white rounded occipital ]ibmies about 8-00 in length, lin. — Upper i)arts 

 grayish brown, the feathers streaked or with wedge-sliuped spots of white or 

 buffy ; outer web of ]irimaries ]>alc rufous; inider parts white, streaked with 

 blackisli. L., 24-00; W., 12-00; Tar., 3-20; B., .'5-00. 



/iV/wyc.— Hreeds from ^^anitoba and New Brunswici. southward through 

 Soutii .America; winters from tiie (Julf States soiitliward. 



AVasiringt<m, not unconuuon S. It., occasional in winter. Long island, 

 conunon S. K.. Apl. to Oct., a few winter. Sing Sing, conunon S. K., Apl. <> 

 to Oct. 20. Cand)ri(lge, I*. R., most conunon in Auir. and Sejit. 



Ntst., of sticks, in coloiues, generally in tlic upper parts of tall trees, sonuv 

 times in bushes or on the ground. Kgijs^ four to aix, pule, dull lilue, 200 x 1 40. 



