﻿2 
  54 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  ing 
  colonies 
  former!}' 
  existed 
  in 
  every 
  large 
  swamp 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  but 
  constant 
  

   persecution 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  trees 
  which 
  furnished 
  their 
  

   nesting 
  sites 
  have 
  greatly 
  reduced 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  heronries. 
  In 
  recent 
  

   3^ears 
  they 
  still 
  existed 
  near 
  Cherry 
  Creek, 
  Lime 
  Lake, 
  Dansville, 
  Potter, 
  

   Cincinnatus, 
  Johnstown, 
  Troy, 
  Granville, 
  Amenia, 
  Jamaica 
  soiind, 
  and 
  

   many 
  other 
  localities, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  have 
  passed 
  into 
  histor}' 
  within 
  

   the 
  last 
  two 
  decades. 
  At 
  present 
  there 
  are 
  large 
  heronries 
  in 
  the 
  Tona- 
  

   wanda 
  swamp 
  near 
  West 
  Barre, 
  Clyde 
  river 
  between 
  Newark 
  and 
  Clyde, 
  

   Oneida 
  lake 
  near 
  Constantia, 
  several 
  localities 
  in 
  the 
  i\dirondack 
  region, 
  

   the 
  largest 
  probably 
  being 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Saranac 
  and 
  Cranberry 
  lakes. 
  

   According 
  to 
  Mr 
  O. 
  W. 
  Degan 
  of 
  Pluixi 
  island 
  there 
  was 
  still 
  a 
  breeding 
  

   colony 
  on 
  Gardiners 
  island 
  in 
  1900. 
  At 
  present 
  there 
  are 
  not 
  over 
  50 
  pairs 
  

   in 
  the 
  West 
  Barre 
  heronr}-, 
  but 
  according 
  to 
  Mr 
  William 
  R. 
  Maxon, 
  there 
  

   are 
  about 
  500 
  pairs 
  in 
  that 
  at 
  Constantia. 
  

  

  Migrations. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  hardiest 
  of 
  all 
  our 
  herons 
  and 
  is 
  occasionally 
  

   seen 
  in 
  midwinter 
  both 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  about 
  the 
  open 
  

   waters 
  of 
  springs 
  and 
  streams. 
  The 
  spring 
  migration 
  seems 
  to 
  begin 
  about 
  

   the 
  same 
  time 
  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  interior; 
  the 
  earliest 
  arrivals 
  

   ranging 
  from 
  March 
  i6th 
  to 
  April 
  5th, 
  March 
  30th 
  being 
  the 
  average 
  date 
  

   in 
  most 
  localities. 
  The 
  greater 
  number 
  depart 
  for 
  the 
  south 
  between 
  the 
  

   5th 
  and 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  November. 
  It 
  is 
  commonest 
  during 
  April, 
  and 
  froiTi 
  

   August 
  to 
  October 
  when 
  the 
  immature 
  birds 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  every 
  

   creek 
  and 
  mill 
  pond 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  wherever 
  they 
  are 
  unmolested. 
  

  

  The 
  Great 
  blue 
  heron 
  is 
  a 
  distinct 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  picturesqueness 
  

   of 
  our 
  lake 
  shores 
  and 
  river 
  courses. 
  "The 
  haunts 
  of 
  coot 
  and 
  hem" 
  lose 
  

   much 
  of 
  their 
  charm 
  when 
  deprived 
  of 
  this 
  stately 
  bird. 
  Like 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   herons 
  it 
  nests 
  in 
  colonies 
  and 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  visit 
  the 
  streams 
  and 
  marshes 
  

   for 
  iniles 
  around 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  their 
  favorite 
  food 
  of 
  fish, 
  frogs 
  etc. 
  This 
  

   heron 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  niost 
  destructive 
  enemy 
  of 
  all 
  our 
  native 
  birds 
  

   to 
  trout 
  streams 
  and 
  fish 
  ponds. 
  As 
  it 
  visits 
  the 
  ponds 
  at 
  night 
  when 
  the 
  

   trout 
  are 
  feeding 
  in 
  shallow 
  water, 
  a 
  few 
  herons 
  will 
  often 
  levy 
  a 
  toll 
  of 
  

   several 
  dozens 
  of 
  fingerlings 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  night. 
  When 
  visiting 
  trout 
  ponds 
  

   early 
  in 
  the 
  inorning, 
  I 
  have 
  occasionalh' 
  found 
  fish 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  speared 
  

  

  