94 NOTES ON THE 
above water, he takes advantage of the moment when, with 
their heads immersed, each is seeking a spot in which to hide, 
and steps promptly but cautiously along to a favorable posi- 
tion, and assuming his wonted attitude with his neck drawn 
back over the breast, and when an inquisitive head rises, the 
same fatal stroke brings Johnny Crapeau’s favorite ‘‘to bag.”’ 
Communal as they often are in breeding, they always hunt sol- 
itarily, and seem to individually have a sort of squatter’s pre- 
emption over a given territory, returning to it daily through 
the entire season. The young having become full grown by 
the first to the tenth of August, they may subsequently be often 
seen going forth in the early morning in families supposably, 
and returning at evening by the same routes in like parties. 
I have never seen them later than the 25th of October. They 
seem all to disappear at nearly the same time. 
Dr. Hvoslef reports them at Lanesboro and vicinity early in 
April and late in October, but mentions the discovery of no 
nests or heronries. ‘ 
Mr. Lewis reports them common in all of the northwestern 
portions of the state as far as Pembina. Mr. Clague finds 
them occasionally in the lower portions of Grant county. The 
most frequented locality I have known for this small heron, is 
a low boggy marsh through which Minnehaha Creek flows, by 
which are thus connected Lakes Amelia and Mud, the former — 
of which is partly and the latter entirely within the city limits. 
Careful observations at the twilight of either end of the day 
will find them there uniformly. I wish to say that they do not 
universally breed in communities in Minnesota, for in every 
instance in which ! have found them doing so, I have failed to 
find other nests or birds. Instances have occurred under my 
observation, wherein the entire absence of trees, or bushes 
of any size, they have placed the nest, composed of coarse dry 
weeds and reeds, and cat-tails, on a tussock in a reed-hidden 
quag-mire. Indeed, in common with many other species of 
the birds, they manifest great capacity to adapt their habits to 
extreme circumstances when necessary. One nest, built high 
and dry above the water in apond, on the top of a muskrat’s 
house, was pointed out to me, so secure from human intrusion 
that no attempt was made by the birds at concealment. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Bill acute, rather longer than head, gently curved from the 
base; gonys slightly ascending; legs short, tarsus scarcely 
longer than middle toe, broadly scutellate anteriorly; lateral 
