1.90 in short-diameter. The shell is a uniform bluish-green, varying slightly in tint in different eggs. 



A full set consists generally of three eggs, but occasionally four are laid. The three eggs illustrated, 



were taken from a nest in the Spring of 1883. They measure respectively 2.53 x 1.88, 2.56 x 1.76, and 

 2.53 x 1.76. 



DIFFERENTIAL POINTS : 



The size, together with the color of the shell, will suffice to always identify these eggs. 



REMARKS : 



Fig. 7, Plate LIV, represents a set of eggs of the Great Blue Heron, which shows the variations 

 in size and color remarkably well. As a rule, sets are much more uniform in color than this one. 



The Great Blue Heron is a bird that commands attention and excites admiration, whether it be 

 seen alive or dead. Its graceful form, beautiful plumage, and natural suiToundings, all combine to make 

 a harmony difficult to surpass. So graceful is the family of which it is our best representative, that 

 the nation which leads the world in the art of decoration has for centuries celebrated by pictorial song 

 its elegance and dignity. Besides, it is a bird of great judgment and much cunning, and is an expert 

 in avoiding danger. It is only by accident, or by patient waiting, that it can be shot, as it usually flies as 

 soon as it sees a gunner, and is very cautious about alighting at its feeding grounds. Its food consists 

 chiefly of fish, which it catches by wading out in the shallows of streams and along the shores of ponds. 

 It will stand for hours in the water up to its knees, with its head drawn down upon its shoulders, 

 watching the minnows and small fry; and every little while, swift as an arrow, it shoots out its long- 

 neck and dives its head under the water after an. unfortunate fish, which it seizes in its long bill and 

 immediately swallows. 



The flight of the Great Blue Heron is slow, but well sustained. Its wings are very large for the 

 weight of its body, and consequently but comparatively few strokes are made in a minute. When it 

 takes to wing it usually flies a long distance before alighting, sometimes as far as several miles. 



When wounded it will fight either man or dog, and may proove a dangerous antagonist. A blow 

 from its powerful beak makes a frightful wound, and since having been attacked by a bird with a broken 

 wing, I can readily understand how very disastrous an encounter might prove. All our Heixtns are 

 vicious; and, when being handled, the greatest care should be taken that the eyes do not come within 

 reach of the beak. For an eye is a favorite target, and when one is least expecting it, may be struck to 

 blindness. A White Egret, with a broken wing, was a few year since turned loose in a friend's lawn, 

 and after its wing healed it became quite tame, but always showed a bad temper, and finally became so 

 vicious it was killed. It would attack strangers, especially children, and drive them from the lawn. 

 The Great Blue Heron has a similar disposition, and is a very unsafe bird to handle or be about. 



202 



