﻿The Little Green Heron 



13 



upon going into the orchard one might see a dozen old birds flying about. I 

 found them rather shy and yet had little trouble getting them used to the 

 camera, the camera being placed some three or four feet from the nest, and 

 somewhat secreted with twigs 

 placed about for that purpose. 



The cut showing an old bird 

 on nest was taken May 29, the 

 same day as the photograph of 

 the eggs. The old bird returned 

 to the nest several times after 

 having been frightened away, 

 and the first time was gone two 

 hours, but afterward would be 

 gone but a short time before her 

 return. Sometimes where the 

 tree in which the nest was lo- 

 cated was isolated, two birds 

 were seen, indicating that both 

 were interested in the house- 

 keeping. 



It was with difficulty that a 

 photograph was obtained of the 

 young fledged birds shown in 

 the cut, since they were nearly 

 large enough to fly. When I 

 attempted to climb the apple 

 tree, they all left the nest and 

 hopped about from limb to limb 

 in the tree, not attempting to leave the home tree, however. 



One peculiarity of the young birds that I noticed was the disgorging of 

 food when pursued in the tree. Why, I am unable to tell, unless it was 

 that they might be able to hop better. I saw them in the act of disgorging, 

 and, upon examination of the matter disgorged, I found several minnows, 

 some an inch and some two inches long. Crayfish also were in evidence; 

 indeed, from what I saw I should judge that crayfish made a large portion of 

 their food. 



The old bird, when returning to the tree and alighting, could be heard 

 to give a sort of cackle, not altogether unlike the cluck of a hen, and the 

 tail would twitch. The young birds, when large enough to be out of the 

 nest, could be seen in the tree usually standing very erect. I noticed, with 

 some interest, their manner of getting about in the tree, using their wings 

 as hands, before they were large enough to fly, and hooking the head over a 

 limb to assist them. 



NEST AND EGGS OF GREEN HERON. MAY zg, igo; 



