on the Lesser Egret.



239



“ after season these colonies have been ‘shot out,’ with the result

‘ that, at the present time, but a few pairs of birds visit the old

“ breeding sites ! ” Agitation by naturalists produced legislation of a

“ kind for the birds’ protection ; but so great were the difficulties of

“ administering the law that further agitation was needed to estab-

“ lish an organized force of keepers (watchers), of whom at least one

“ met his death at the hands of the plume-hunting gang.”


Mr. Abel Chapman and Mr. Walter Buck, authors of “ Wild

Spain ” and “ Unexplored Spain ” have leased the Coto Donana for

some years, which is a long narrow strip of country which stretches

along the coast line for about forty miles from the north bank of the

Guadalquivir. Here the marismas teem with wild-fowl in the winter,

and with marsh birds in the spring. The low marshy part of the

country merges into interminable marismas, stretching for miles on

either side of the river.


Here where tamarisks fringe some of the lagoons, the Little

Egrets, associating with Buff-backed Herons, etc. build their nests,

in some cases only a few feet above the water’s surface.


Mr. Farren graphically describes his efforts at photographing

some of the birds. Concealed in a small tent, which the Egrets did

not seem to be frightened at, he watched them at close proximity for

a length of time. He writes :—“ Egrets and Buff-backed Herons

“ flew low down over the tent, circled above the bushes, and one by

“ one dropped with dangling legs on the branches. Their long toes

“seemed ill-fitted for grasping, and there was, it must be confessed,

“ some ungainliness of action in their progress towards their nests.

“ As they climbed down from branch to branch and raised their

“ wings as balancers, their waving plumes and snow white primaries

“ caught, at each step, fresh glint and play of sunshine.”


“ There was much bickering and squabbling amongst them,

caused as it seemed by unintentional, unavoidable trespass.”


In the Natural History Museum in New York, there is a

most beautiful case of stuffed Egrets, representing the birds amidst

their natural surroundings with their nests and young : and so skil¬

fully is it done that it is difficult to forget one is not looking upon

real life. These magnificent examples of the taxidermist’s art, and

there are many, each one if possible more interesting than the last,



