BIRDS OF PORTO RICO. 23 



is insufficient to warrant the hunting of a bird which from the standpoint of 

 the agriculturist is one of the most important species on the island. It should 

 be protected, especially at nesting time, and encouraged by planting bamboos as 

 permanent shelters along streams and drainage ditches. This species should 

 hold its own and even increase largely, because of its adaptability to new con- 

 ditions. The south coast especially, with the present area under irrigation 

 and large projects under way, is very favorable to the green heron, and this 

 bird is one of the few economic species especially adapted to that region. 



LITTLE BLUE HERON. Florida cwrulea cwrulescens (Latham). 

 Gakza, Garza Azul. 



The little blue heron, rather evenly distributed around the coasts of Porto 

 Rico and absent or rare only where there are no marshy grounds or lagoon 

 areas, was perhaps more abundant near Mameyes, Yabucoa, and Guanica than 

 elsewhere. On Vieques it was the most common heron, and a few were seen 

 on Culebra Island. 



The birds inhabited lagoons, mangrove swamps, and marshy borders of rivers 

 and were common in wet lowland cane fields. They often fed inland along the 

 rivers and in the cane fields 3 or 4 miles from the coast. When disturbed, the 

 ordinary note of the bird is a harsh kar-r-rk. The flight is strong and direct 

 and in a high wind rather graceful. Nests which the birds had apparently just 

 built were seen near Mameyes as early as February 9, while near Yabucoa a 

 large colony had eggs the first of May. The nests were loosely constructed of 

 twigs and Avere situated from 10 to 30 feet above the ground in mangroves 

 and other trees in the swamps. The largest colony seen, near Yabucoa, con- 

 tained over 150 pairs. In this rookery the birds left the nests when disturbed 

 and eircled overhead, some perching on dead limbs, craning their necks, and 

 creating great bustle and general confusion. A mongoose, seen rather methodi- 

 cally searching the open ground under the trees, would without doubt have dis- 

 posed of any fallen young. When breeding, the birds passed back and forth 

 morning and afternoon to feeding grounds in the cane fields, many of them going 

 several miles inland. When flushed in the cane fields, they returned to the 

 coast region and did not light in the bamboos or other trees, to return to the 

 ground later, as the green herons do. Sometimes after circling several times 

 high in the air they dropped back a distance away to feed. Flocks of 15 or 20 

 sometimes waded out in shallow bays at low tide, searching for food, and 

 when the tide came in retired to the mangroves. 



After the breeding season little blue herons appear to spread out more and 

 wander inland, occasionally as far as the base of the foothills, so that in 

 August they were seen on the Guanajibos River below San German. Some 

 birds go even farther up along the streams. On Vieques Island they flew 

 inland with regularity to feed in the dry pastures. Usually three or four 

 came together soaring and sailing and then circled slowly to the ground, where 

 they walked about looking for food. On Culebra Island one was found only 

 occasionally in the mangroves. 



Many birds in white and in pied plumage were seen, and many of those taken 

 in February were molting. 



When undisturbed, as near Mameyes on the northeast coast, they become 

 very tame. When a boat passed through the channels, the herons flew out con- 

 tinually from the mangroves with a rush of wings and harsh calls, alarming 

 all other denizens of the swamps. 



Food. — Fifteen stomachs of the little blue heron taken in February, March, 

 May, June, and August were found to contain animal matter to the extent of 

 97.22 per cent, leaving 2.78 per cent for vegetable content. Miscellaneous 



