The Audubon Societies 



165 



color must render its body imperceptible when looked at against the sky from below. 

 The Heron's juvenile plumage enables the owner to escape becoming food for enemies, 

 while the color of the adult is an aid in securing food. 



The Black-crowned Night Heron is very widely distributed. It breeds from New 

 Brunswick to Patagonia.* In this region it begins to migrate about the middle of 

 October. Audubon says that the adults go farther south than the young. 



II. METHOD OF TEACHING. 



If there are Herons in the neighborhood, it is best to encourage pupils to observe 

 these birds out-of-doors. Begin the work with an interesting description and ask a few 

 questions to arouse the pupils' interest. If there is a rookery that can be visited it 

 might be desirable to have a few pupils make a study of it. Observations of the adult 

 feeding is an excellent training which is worth while for all the class. Pupils might have 

 individual notebooks in which they could write answers to certain questions. These 

 questions should be written on the blackboard when it is time to make the observations 

 and the class be given at least a week for observation work. 



A. Observations. 



(a) Questions for Observation at the Rookery. 



1. Try to enter the heronry without being discovered. If you are discovered: 

 How did the bird discover you? How do you know that you were discovered? 



2. What does the bird say? If you have heard the same call before, when did you 

 hear it? Where did you hear it? 



*' Distribution and Migration of North American Herons and Their Allies', Wells W. Cooke. igi3. 

 Biological Survey, Bulletin No. 45. 



A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON IN ITS HAUNTS 

 Photograph of a mounted specimen. 



