CHAPTER XXVI 



THE ORDER OF HERONS, STORKS, AND IBISES 



HERODIONES. 



All the members of this Order are either sturdy 

 fisherfolk, or longshoremen. They wait not 

 for bud or blossoms, or ripening grain, but when 

 hunger calls they go a-fishing. Then woe be- 

 tide the small fish or frog of any size which is 

 tempted to stray into the warm shallows, and 

 linger there. 



The neck of the heron is specially formed by 

 Nature for quick lunging. At rest, it folds 

 upon itself, in angular kinks, until the neck 

 totally disappears, and the bird's head seems to 

 rest down upon its shoulders. But alarm this 

 neckless bird, and presto ! it is another creature. 

 Up goes the head into the air, borne on a long, 

 flat-sided neck, which curves like a capital S. 



When a heron is fishing, it stalks slowly and 

 silently along the shore, preferably in water 

 about six inches deep, its head carried well 

 forward but about on a level with the top of 

 its shoulders, while its big eyes keenly scru- 

 tinize every object in the water. It takes long 

 steps, and plants each foot softly, in true Still- 

 hunter fashion, to avoid alarming its game. 

 When a fish is found within range, the kinks of 

 the neck fly straight, and the fish is seized be- 

 tween the mandibles. The fish is not stabbed 

 through and through, as is generally supposed. 

 In swallowing a fish, it is, of course, taken 

 head first. 



Herons, egrets and ibises are gregarious, or 

 sociable, in their nesting habits. In other 

 words, they are fond of nesting together; and 

 a place of many nesting birds is called either a, 

 "heronrv," or a "rookery." The nesting 

 sites are chosen with due regard to -seclusion 

 and food supplies. Usually the heronry is lo- 

 cated in low trees that stand on a small island, 

 or else grow up out of a swamp or bayou, so 

 that without a boat they are almost inaccessible. 



Thirty years ago, the greatest and most nu- 

 merous heronries in the United States were in 



Florida, on the head waters of the St. Johns, on 

 the edge of the Everglades, and the 'small rivers 

 'and creeks that run down to the sea. To-day 

 it is difficult to find in Florida a heronry worthy 

 of the name, or one which belongs to a large 

 assemblage of birds. Herons, egrets and ibises 

 have been so persistently destroyed for their 

 "plumes" that not one-fiftieth of the original 

 number remain. 



As will be seen by the following table, the 

 Order Herodiones contains quite a number of 

 important water-birds which are not herons: 



Hi 







Q 

 O 



a 



B 

 -« 



a 

 o 



Heron, 



I Stork, 



Ibis, . 



AB-DE'I-DAE, 



CIC-0-NI'I-DAE, 



I-BID'I-DAE, 



EXAMPLES. 



Herons, 

 Egrets and 

 Bitterns. 



Wood Ibis. 



( White Ibis 

 < and Scarlet 

 ( Ibis. 



Spoonbill, PLAT-A-LE'I-DAE, j g"^^^!^]! 



THE HERON FAMILY. 



Ardeidae. 



The Great Blue Heron' is the largest, hand- 

 somest and most conspicuous Heron in North 

 America — if not the world. This is the bird 

 so persistently called the "Blue Crane"; and 

 one of the first things for the beginner to learn 

 about birds is to call this bird a Heron, instead 

 of a "crane!" 



Whether fishing in the shallows along the 

 shore, or perching on a dead tree, or winging 

 his way slowly and majestically through the 

 air, this is a fine, handsome bird, and a welcome 

 sight to see. Its height when standing fairly 

 erect is 3 feet, 3 inches. It has plumes on its 

 head, breast and back, which American cranes 



1 Ar-de'a her-o'di-as. Length, from 40 to 48 inches. 



259 



