86 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



The nest is a flat and rude contrivance made of sticks 

 and placed in trees ; the birds generally roost and breed in 

 colonies. The eggs are oblong, two and a half by one 

 and a half inches in size, of a pale bluish green color and 

 either four or five in number. 



The birds breed from Hudson's Bay southward and 

 most of them spend the winter south of the Middle States. 

 They are common in New Jersey, from the first of April 

 to the middle of November, being most plentiful along the 

 coast in September'and are seen occasionally in midwinter. 

 There are stiU several colonies nesting yearly in the 

 swamps of southern New Jersey. 



The bird depends principally on fish for food, but also 

 devours frogs, reptiles, meadow mice, dragon flies, grass- 

 hoppers and other insects. 



Heron^ Ctreen, or Poke. — Length, seventeen inches; 

 extent, twenty-flve inches; bill, two inches long; top of 

 head with pendent crest, metallic green; back and sides 

 of neck, chestnut, varying to maroon; chin, white; throat, 

 streaked with black and white; back and upper side of 

 wings and tail, metallic green, centre of back covered 

 with long, narrow somewhat glaucous feathers with white 

 shaft lines, and many of the wing feathers narrowly 

 edged with buff; under parts, plain gray; young birds 

 more or less streaked with buff and rusty. 



The nest is built in a bush or low tree, being a rude 

 and flat contrivance. The eggs are from three to six in 

 number, of a pale greenish blue, one and a half inches by 

 one and one-tenth in size. They breed throughout tem- 

 perate North America, as far north as Ontario. They are 

 found both along the coast and in the interior of New 

 Jersey, from about the first of April to the first of Octo- 

 ber. In winter they migrate to South America. 



The birds feed generally at dawn and dusk on fish, 

 frogs and insects. 



Beron, J^/H^ht^ Quawk or Qua-bird. — Length, 



