THE GREAT WHITE HERON. 543 



assiduous), and with their legs stretched out before them iu the same manner as the young 

 when two or three weeks old. The latter, of which I saw several from ten days to a month 

 old, were pure white, slightly tinged with cream color, and had no indications of a crest. 

 Those which I carried to Charleston, and which were kept for more than a year, exliibited 

 nothing of the kind. I am unable to say how long it is before they attain their full plumage. 



"These Herons are sedate, quiet, and perhaps even less animated than the A. Jierodias. 

 They walk majestically, with firnmess and great elegance. Unlike the species first named, 

 they flock at their feeding-grounds, .sometimes a hundred or more being seen together ; and 

 what is still more remarkable is, that they betake themselves to the mud-fiats or sand-bars at a 

 distance from the Keys, on wliich they roost and breed. They seem, in so far as I could judge, 

 to be diurnal, an opinion corroborated by the testimony of Mr. Egan, a i^erson of great judg- 

 ment, sagacity, and integrity. While on these banks they stand motionless, rarely moving 

 towards their prey, but waiting until it comes near, when they strike it and swallow it alive, 

 or when large, beat it on the water, or shake it violently, biting it severely all the while. They 

 never leave their feeding-grounds until driven off by the tide, I'emaining until the water reaches 

 their body. So wary are they that, although they may return to roost on the same Keys, 

 they rarely alight on trees to which tliey have resorted before, and if repeatedly distui'bed 

 they do not retrirn, for many weeks at least. When roosting, they generally stand on one 

 foot, the other being drawn up, and, unlike the Ibises, are never seen lying fiat on trees, where, 

 however, they draw in tlieir long necks, and place their heads under their wings. 



"I was often surprised to see that while a fiock was resting by day in the position just 

 described, one or more stood with outstretched necks, keenly eyeing all around, now and then 

 suddenly starting at the sight of a porpoise or shark in chase of some fish. The appearance 

 of a man or a boat seemed to distract them ; and yet I was told that nobody ever goes iu pur- 

 suit of them. If surpi'ised, they lea^e their perch with a rough croaking sound, and fiy 

 directly to a great distance, but never inland. 



" The flight of the Great "White Heron is firm, regular, and greatly protracted. They 

 propel themselves by regular, slow flaps, the head being drawn in after they have proceeded a 

 few yards, and their legs extended behind, as is the case with all the other Herons. They also, 

 now and then, rise high in the air, whei'e they sail in wide circles, and they never alight with- 

 out performing this circling flight, unless when going to feeding-grounds on which other 

 individuals have already settled. It is ti-uly suri3rising that a bird of so powerful a flight 

 never visits Georgia or the Carolinas, nor goes to the mainland. When you see them about 

 the middle of the day on their feeding-grounds, they ' loom ' to aboiit double their size, and 

 present a singular aj^pearance. It is difficult to kill them unless with buck-shot, which we 

 found ourselves obliged to use. 



"AVlien I left Key West, on our return towaids Charleston, I took with me two young 

 birds that had been consigned to the care of my friend, Dr. B. Strobel, who assured me that 

 they devoured more than their weight of food per day. I had also two young birds of the 

 Ardea Jierodias alive. After bringing them on board, I i:)laced them all together in a very 

 large coop ; but was soon obliged to separate the two species, for the white birds would not 

 be reconciled to the blue, which they would have killed. While the fonner had the privilege 

 of the deck for a few minutes, they struck at the smaller species, such as the young of Ardea 

 rufescens and A. ludoinciana, some of which they instantly killed and swallowed entire, 

 although they were abundantly fed on the flesh of green turtles. None of the sailors suc- 

 ceeded in making friends with them. 



" On reaching Indian Key, I found those which had been left with Mrs. Egan in excellent 

 health, and much increased in size ; but, to my surprise, observed that their bills were much 

 broken, which she assured me had been caused by the great force with which they struck at 

 the fishes thrown to them on the rocks of their inclosure, — a statement which I found con- 

 firmed by my own observation iu the course of the day. It was almost as difiicult to catch 

 them in the yard as if they had never seen a man before, and we were obliged to tie their bills 

 fast, to avoid being wounded by them while carrying them on board. They thrived well, and 



