92 Frederick D. Welch—Some Remarks on Night Herons


SOME REMARKS ON NIGHT HERONS

(, NYCTICORAX )


By Frederick D. Welch, M.R.C.S.


When in London in August, 1920, I watched some birds in the

Great Aviary of the Zoological Gardens in order to compare, if an

opportunity occurred, their fighting with the Bitterns, previously

mentioned in the Magazine, Ser. iii, Vol. XI, pp. 104-5, because Night

Herons have beaks -which seemed to me to be capable of inflicting

a severe peck on a hostile bird.


Two scenes were interesting to watch, although not equalling in

interest that of the two Bitterns seen many years before — about 1903

or 1904, so far as I remember. When one of the Night Herons was

standing iu the shallow water, a second bird approached it and

apparently tried to take some food it had in its beak. Both birds faced

each other, and kept on alternately bobbing up and down by rapidly

crouching half-down and immediately raising rapidly to full height,

then crouching, then raising, and so forth. During this action

neither bird advanced or retreated, but kept standing in the same parts

of the pond ; and each seemed to me to be trying to find an opening in

the opposite bird’s defence in order to get in a decisive peck at head

or body. They were, however, very equally matched in activity, and

after about twenty-five bobbings up and down they parted without

damaging each other, the second bird retiring and dying to a bouglx

where it croaked (apparently giving off some rage at its unsuccessful

adventure) while the first bird remained in the water—the croak being

much like a frog’s. Later on, tvvo Night Herons engaged each other in

a dispute about food, one bird starting it with a running attack at the

other which retreated a few feet, but always facing its opponent; and

then retaliated with a similar running attack against the original

aggressor, which also retreated in turn, but facing in exactly the same

way. The birds alternately attacked and retreated in this way, running

forwards and backwards over the same ground time after time ; but each

Night Heron took care to keep away from its adversary’s strong, pointed

beak, which latter procedure showed a disinclination to co>ve to close

quarters in battle on either side, they being (as the others before them)



