204 Union Bay 



When the manager reported that the bird came around 

 almost every morning, I made a series of early visits. After 

 the third trip I learned that it spent the night in a little 

 marginal pond south of the canoehouse. Then I had only to 

 flush it, to watch where it landed, and to try to photograph it 

 in the tree. If disturbed again, it would fly to another pond 

 just north of the canoehouse, and if left alone would spend 

 most of the day there. A small blind at this spot enabled me 

 to take some pictures, and just after that, in the first week 

 of September, the bird disappeared. 



The statement that the green heron had been a fortnight 

 guest of the local marsh was not received with much en- 

 thusiasm by scientific friends who had heard of it. I was not 

 surprised. The customary introduction to such a statement 

 is something like this: 



"Here's a skin I thought you might like to see. It may be 

 something new in the territory." 



Then in due course the skin would be examined, com- 

 pared, and carefully measured, and the verdict would be given. 



In this particular case, after mentioning a possible new 

 record, I was told each time that it would be interesting to 

 see the skin. Imagine the shocked attitude of the listener 

 when I replied that the bird had not been collected. I was 

 reminded immediately that of course the skin was required 

 for proof. It was not said with temper or malice, but politely, 

 and only as a reminder that there were rules which must be 

 observed. The fact that twenty persons had now' seen the 

 bird was not sufficient evidence: who could be certain that 

 the twenty had not been mistaken? The skin of the bird must 

 be available for examination by any who wished to satisfy 

 themselves. 



It is the privilege of all to think that even a good rule may 

 be carried too far. A green heron within ten or fifteen yards 

 could be mistaken for nothing else by any observer of birds. 

 I asked myself if it were necessary to collect the skin of a 



