•THE LITTLE GREEN HERON. 



[Ardea virescens.) 



Oh, give me back my thicket by the marsh ! 



Let me see the herons wade 



In the watery glade, 

 And let me see the water-fowl go by 

 Glimmering against the sky. 



— Maurice Thompson 



The Ardeidae, or the family of herons, 

 egrets and bitterns, includes about sev- 

 enty-five species, which are world wide 

 in their distribution, though much more 

 common in temperate regions. So wide- 

 ly scattered are the species of this fam- 

 ily, whose Latin name means heron, that 

 most persons who are deeply interested 

 in the study of bird life are more or 

 less familiar with their habits. The 

 large size of the herons, together with 

 their long bills, necks 'and legs, renders 

 them conspicuous and demands more 

 than a passing glance from even the cas- 

 ual observer. Many bodies of water in 

 retired locations will harbor at the 

 proper season one or more species of 

 this interesting family. 



One of the smallest of the herons, and 

 one of the most common in many locali- 

 ties, is the Little Green Heron, familiarly 

 known to the rural Hoosier boy as the 

 ''Schytepoke/' and to others as the 

 ''Poke." It is not the purpose to give a 

 description of this bird ; those of our 

 readers — if there be any — who are not 

 familiar with it will find minute descrip- 

 tions of it in all the standard manuals. 

 However, a few observations on its nest- 

 ing and feeding habits may be of some 

 value and interest. 



In central Indiana the Little Green 

 Heron arrives from its winter residence 

 in Florida, or farther southward, about 

 the last of April, and immediately begins 

 nesting, selecting, if convenient, second 

 growth timber, especially if there be a 

 thicket of undergrowth. But if these 

 conditions be not at hand, it seems to 

 prefer, as a site for its nest, an old 

 abandoned orchard, or at least one some- 



In Captivity." 



what remote from human habitation, 

 but not very far distant from a stream 

 or pond. In the fork of some tree ten 

 to twenty feet above ground is collected 

 a considerable sized but irregular and 

 loose bundle of rough sticks. In this by 

 the middle of May, or at times even ear- 

 lier, it lays from three to six greenish 

 blue eggs, about an inch and a half long 

 by an inch and a quarter in diameter. 

 The period of incubation cannot be long, 

 as some years young almost ready to fly 

 can be found before the last of May. We 

 have never found more than one nest 

 in the same immediate vicinity, but, ac- 

 cording to Ridgway, it sometimes nests 

 in colonies. 



For the remainder of the summer this 

 is a> social bird, at least to the extent that 

 the whole family remain together, wad- 

 ing the water, stalking along the banks 

 or perching on trees, bushes and logs. 

 At this time it displays some curiosity 

 when a person comes warily into its 

 haunts. Its long neck is stretched to 

 its limit as the bird endeavors to keep 

 an eye on the intruder, and at the slight- 

 est suspicious movement on the part of 

 the latter, its long wings are raised in 

 readiness for flight. Remain perfectly 

 quiet, however, and it again resumes its 

 occupation, apparently unconcerned; but 

 let a sudden movement be made, and 

 then it awkwardly but quickly flies away, 

 uttering meanwhile a discordant squawk. 



It is quite interesting to see one of 

 these herons feeding. It will wade along 

 the edge of a pond or stream, very 

 slowly lifting its feet out of the water 

 and carefully putting them down again. 

 Its neck is folded so that it almost dis- 



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