AVES—HERON. 631 
emptied of their inhabitants, who disperse in quest of food. On entering 
one of these swamps, the noise of the old and young would almost lead one 
to suppose that two or three hundred Indians were choking each other. The 
instant an intruder is discovered, the whole rise in the air in silence, and 
remove to the tops of the trees, in another part of the woods; while par- 
ties of from eight to ten make occasional circuits over the spot to see what 
is going on. 
The food of the night heron, or qua bird, is chiefly composed of small fish, 
which it takes at night. 
THE GREAT EGRET HERON! 
Is often seen in summer in our low marshes and inundated meadows; yet, 
on account of its extreme vigilance, it is very difficult to be procured. It is 
found from Guiana, and probably beyond the line, to New York. It enters 
the territories of the United States late in February. The high inland parts 
of the country it rarely or never visits. Its favorite haunts are vast inun- 
dated swamps, rice fields, the low marshy shores of rivers, and such like 
places ; where, from its size and color, it is very conspicuous even at a dis- 
tance. The food consists of frogs, lizards, small fish, insects, and small 
water snakes, &c. They will also devour mice and moles. The plumage 
of this elegant bird is of a snowy whiteness; the bill of a rich orange yel- 
low ; and the legs black. 
THE GREAT HERON? 
Is a constant inhabitant of the Atlantic coast, from New York to Florida. 
They breed in the Carolinas and New Jersey, in the gloomy solitudes of 
cedar swamps, where, if unmolested, they will annually breed for many 
years. Their nests are constructed on the tallest trees. These are large, 
formed of sticks; each occupies the top of a single tree. The principal 
food of this bird is fish, for which he watches with unwearied patience, and 
seizes them with surprising dexterity. At the edge of a river, pond, or sea- 
shore, he stands fixed and motionless. But his stroke is as sure as fate to 
the first fish that comes in his way. He is also an excellent mouser, and 
feeds eagerly on grasshoppers and various winged insects. 
The heron has great powers of wing, flying sometimes very high, and to a 
—— 


1 Ardea egretta, WiLSON. 2 Ardea Herodias, Lin. 
