THE OOLOGIST. 



29 



Two Interesting Birds of Tonawanda Swamp. 



Tonawaada Swamp is a large swamp 

 of some sixty or seventy thousand acres 

 situated in Western New York, extend- 

 ing from near Buffalo in an easterly di- 

 rection, through the counties of Erie, 

 Genesee, Orleans and Monroe. 



It is a favorite breedingplacefor mnay 

 species of both land and water birds, 

 its timberland and its dense second- 

 growth furnishing favorite haunts for 

 the birds who choose to build their 

 nests and rear their young in the trees 

 and bushes; and its extended marshes, 

 some dry and some covered with water, 

 and a thick growth of cat-tails, reeds, 

 marsh grass and many varieties of 

 sedges and water plants, form excellent 

 breeding places for Bitterns. Marsh 

 Hawks, Rails and all species of birds 

 who choose 'to build their nests in the 

 grass or water. 



It is also an excellent place for many 

 species of Ducks and Grebes, as it 

 abounds in small streams, ponds and 

 stagnant pools of water. It has manj;- 

 dangerous places to one not acquainted 

 with the swampy 'parts as there are 

 many mire-holes where a man would 

 sink out of sight in the mire, if unfor- 

 tunate enough to get into such places. 



This swamp forms attractive breed- 

 ing grounds for Ducks and Geese dur- 

 ing migration, therefore we generally 

 have good Duck shooting every spring 

 and nearly every fall. 



I have chosen for my subjects two 

 common and well known birds — the 

 Great Blue Heron, and the American 

 Bittern — whose habits I have carefully 

 studied for the last four or live years. 



GEEAT BLUE HERON. 



The Great Blue Heron was formerly 

 very common in this vicinity, but it is 

 becoming more scarce every year, ow- 

 ing to the vast numbers that are wan- 

 tonly killed. They breed in colonies 

 only, and for that reason large num- 

 bers can easily be shot. 



A few years ago there were two her- 

 onries near here, one about seven miles 

 southwest and the other about three 

 miles southeast, but hunters and so- 

 called oologists have annually entered 

 these breeding grounds and shot the 

 Herons by hundreds, leaving their 

 beautiful skins and plumage to decay 

 and spoil. I have known men and boys 

 to go to these colonies and shoot every 

 bird they could, and not being satisfied 

 shoot through the nests, breaking the 

 eggs or killing the young. 



This practice has been kept up so 

 much that the Herons are now confined 

 to one colony only, but that is quite a 

 large one, containing several hundred 

 nests. It is situated in a low, wet, 

 swampy piece of timber, about two 

 miles from any cleared land. 



A Great Blue Heron is very hard to 

 kill, and I have known them, after be- 

 ing wounded, to whip out a good sized 

 dog, so fiercely do they strike with 

 their long beak and powerful wings. 



The Great Blue Heron arrives here 

 about the first of April and almost im- 

 mediately begins to build its nest, or 

 rebuild the one occupied by them the 

 preceding year, if possible for them to 

 do so. They begin laying about the 

 20th of April, and lay from three to 

 five, sometimes six eggs, but the num- 

 ber commonly laid is four or five. 



Tha eggs are a greenish-blue, closely 

 resemble eggs of many species of the 

 domestic Duck, both in size and color, 

 but being of a rougher surface. 



June 13, 1894, I visited the Herons, 

 but as it was too late in the season to 

 secure any eggs, unless a second laying 

 by a bird previously robbed, I did not 

 climb any trees but satisfied myself 

 with studying their habits while feeding 

 " their young. 

 Upon my approach, the males would fly 

 around in a large circle over my head 

 while many of the females did not leave 

 their nests till I would strike the trunk 

 of the trees containing them, with a 



