26 BIRDS OF ARKANSAS, 



years ago and occupied a nesting site near Jones, La. I saw one 

 bird at Camden July 7, and Savage reports one seen at Delight. 

 August 16. After the breeding season many of these herons wander 

 northward and some have been found as far north as Nebraska and 

 Wisconsin. 



This species presents three phases of plumage, independent of age 

 or sex — a pure white phase, a blue phase, and a mottled or interme- 

 diate phase. Individuals of any of the phases may be found mated 

 and breeding with those of another color. At Wilmot, in June, I 

 found the three phases about equally represent'ed. 



The food of this heron com-ists chiefly of fish, frogs, lizards, craw- 

 fish, small crabs, and insects. The rice growers of southern Texas 

 consider it very useful on account of its fondness for crawfish, which 

 cause trouble in the rice fields by their depredations upon the crop 

 and by burrowing into the embankments surrounding the fields. 

 The stomachs of 4 specimens killed near Wilmot in June contained 

 crawfish and aquatic beetles. One bird had eaten 35 of the crusta- 

 ceans and 28 beetle larvse. 



Green Heron. Butorides viresceTis. 



This familiar bird, known to many by the curious name of " Indian 

 hen," ia a common and generally distributed summer resident, 

 most numerous, however, about the ponds and swamps of the 

 eastern part of the State. Migrants arrive from the south about 

 the first of April and most of them depart in October, though 

 occasionally a few winter even as far north as FayetteviUe. At 

 Mammoth Spring, in June, green herons were numerous along 

 Spring River, and at Wilmot the same month they were abundant 

 about the shores of the lake close to town. Partly incubated eggs 

 were found at the latter place June 25 and at the same time well- 

 grown young were abroad. This heron feeds chiefly upon craw- 

 fish, insects, frogs, and small fish. 



Black-cro'wiied Night Heron. Nyetieorax nycticorax nxvms. 



The common night heron is apparently a rather scarce and local 

 summer resident from April to November, found chiefiy in the 

 swamps and along the larger rivers. It was reported as breeding 

 at Newport in 1885, and in 1902 Oberholser observed it in numbers 

 near Texarkana (Texas) in late June. McAtee saw one bird at 

 Turrell on November 19, and found the species numerous at Big 

 Lake June 20 to 23, 1911. This species feeds upon fish, crabs, 

 lizards, mice, and insects. 



Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Nyctanassa violacea. 



This species formerly occurred as a breeder in the Mississippi 

 Valley States as far north as southern Illinois and Indiana, but in 

 recent years the birds have been largely driven out of the northern 



