NIGHT HERON, OR QUA-BIRD. 525 
The Night Heron arrives in Pennsylvania early in April, and imme- 
diately takes possession of his former breeding-place, which is usually 
the most solitary and deeply-shaded part of a cedar-swamp. Groves 
of swamp oak, in retired and inundated places, are also sometimes 
chosen, and the males not unfrequently select tall woods, on the banks 
of the river, to roost in during the day. These last regularly direct 
their course, about the beginning of evening twilight, towards the 
marshes, uttering, in a hoarse and hollow tone, the sound qua, which 
by some has been compared to that produced by the retchings of a 
person attempting to vomit. At this hour, also, all the nurseries in 
the swamps are emptied of their inhabitants, who disperse about the 
marshes, and along the ditches and river-shore, in quest of food. Some 
of these breeding-places have been occupied, every spring and sum- 
mer, for time immemorial, by from eighty to one hundred pairs of Qua- 
Birds. In places where the cedars have been cut down for sale, the 
birds have merely removed to another quarter of the swamp; but, 
when personally attacked, long teased, and plundered, they have been 
known to remove from an ancient breeding-place, in 2 body, no one 
knew where. Such was the case with one on the Delaware, near 
‘'Thompson’s Point, ten or twelve miles below Philadelphia; which 
having been repeatedly attacked and plundered by a body of Crows, 
after many severe rencounters, the Herons finally abandoned the place. 
Several of these breeding-places occur among the red cedars on the 
sea-beach of Cape May, intermixed with those of the Little Egret, 
Green Bittern, and Blue Heron. The nests are built entirely of sticks, 
in considerable quantities, with frequently three and four nests on 
the same tree. The eggs are generally four in number, measuring 
two inches and a quarter in length, by one and three quarters in 
thickness, and of a very pale, light blue color. The ground or 
marsh below is bespattered with their excrements, lying all around 
like whitewash, with feathers, broken egg-shells, old nests, and fre- 
quently small fish, which they have dropped by accident, and neglected 
to pick up. 
On entering the swamp, in the neighborhood of one of these breed- 
ing-places, the noise of the old and the young would almost induce 
one to suppose that two or three hundred indians were choking or 
throttling each other. The instant an intruder is discovered, the 
whole rise in the air in silence, and remove to the tops of the trees in 
another part of the woods, while parties of from eight to ten make oc- 
casional circuits over the spot, to see what is going on. When the 
young are able, they climb to the highest part of the trees, but, know- 
ing their inability, do not attempt to fly. Though it is probable that 
these nocturnal birds do not see wel] during the day, yet their faculty 
of hearing must be exquisite, as it is almost impossible, with all the 
precautions one can use, to penetrate near their residence without 
being discovered. Several species of Hawks hover around, making an 
occasional sweep among the young; and the Bald Eagle himself 
has been seen reconnoitring near the spot, probably with the same 
design. 
Contrary to the generally-received opinion, the males and females 
of these birds are so alike in color as scarcely to be distinguished from 
each other; both have, also, the long, slender plumes that flow from 
