No. 3.] 



SENXETT ON THE ORNITHOLOGY OF TEXAS. 



433 



covered with about six inches of water. He obtained three of them, all 

 fine males, in full plumage. 



On the cars, between Brownsville and Point Isabel, we saw a flock of 

 a dozen fly out of the marshes, where they undoubtedly breed. 



AEDEID^. 



133. Aedea herodias L. — Great Blue Heron. 



Very numerous about Corj^us Christi Bay. Breeds abundantly on 

 the islands in the Nueces Bay and the Lagoona Madre, near the head of 

 Padre Island. There low growths of prickly -pear cactus and shrubbery 

 abound, which are chosen by them for nesting purposes, in preference 

 to timber, quite as convenient to their feeding-grounds. Associated 

 and breeding with them were Great White and Eeddish Egrets. Some- 

 times a shell island would be found, where bushes grew higher than 

 one's head, but these were neglected by the Herons for lower growths ; 

 in no case was a nest found over four feet from the ground. Last 5 ear 

 I found their nests on Padre Island on the tops of scrub- oaks at a height 

 of eight feet from the ground. Occasionally we came across a nest 

 upon the ground. On March 24, up Nueces Baj^, the nests con- 

 tained one and two eggs each, and occasionally three. March 27, on 

 Bird Islands, Lagoona Madre, the nests contained two, three, and four 

 each, in all degrees of freshness, and in one case young. The birds at 

 this time were very shy, leaving their nests before we came within gun- 

 shot. This species is the most wary of the family. Our boatmen gath- 

 ered pailfuls of different Herons' eggs, which, after some qualms, I 

 tasted and found very good. We cooked them in various ways, and ate 

 them daily during our cruise. The average size of a large series of eggs 

 is 2.52 by 1.85 ; the largest being 2.73 by 1.92, and the smallest 2.29 by 

 1.80. 



46 

 47 



Corpus Christi 

 ....do 



March 30 

 March 30 



Length 50. 50 

 Leu-ith 50. 50 



Wing 21. 00 

 Wiug 21. 00 



Bill 6, 50 

 Bill 5. 90 



134. Herodias egretta Gm. — Great White Egret. 



Common up the Nueces Eiver, near Corpus Christi. Breeding in 

 company with Great Blue and a few Eeddish Egrets. Nests of twigs 

 and weeds about one foot in diameter, and placed on bushes from one 

 to two feet from the ground. On March 24 nests contained from one to 

 four fresh eggs each. Occasionally this bird was seen about the river 

 and water-holes near Lomita during April and May. The eggs average 

 2.1G bv l.GO. 



