THE GREAT BLUE HERON. 467 



bird of the night. When evening falls, he goes to his accustomed hunting- 

 ground with strong, sure flight. These birds do not often wait for the 

 game to come to them, as is the habit of that patient fisherman, the Great 

 Blue Heron, but they move about with lowered head and outstretched neck 

 industriously searching for slugs, frogs, tadpoles, beetles, and their kin. 

 Even field mice are sometimes caught by a rapid run and a flashing stroke. 



These little Bitterns are not guilty of any such outlandish noises as 

 those produced by the "bog bull." Their only notes are a low qua, when 

 flushed or frightened, or a short hoarse croak of greeting or inquiry ; and during 

 the breeding season, a subdued and labored coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, which 

 proceeds, without doubt, from the male bird. 



They do not nest in colonies exactly, but a favorable stretch of tules 

 or saw-grass is likely to contain a dozen nests scattered about. At one 

 of the Reservoirs during the latter part of May, I saw as many as a hundred 

 ■ birds in a day, and was all the time stumbling upon their nests. The nests 

 are comjDOsed of cat-tail leaves laid flatwise, and are either built up out of the 

 muck or shallow water to a height of a foot or more, or else lodged midway 

 on the growing plants. In the latter case the broken-down tops of the reeds 

 ai^e used as a basis, and the shallow platform thus formed is lined with green 

 leaves and sedges, or even fine sticks. ■ The eggs are almost equal ended, and 

 are of a delicate bluish white tint. The four eggs of one set which I examined 

 were disposed in a straight row, as if accommodated to the narrow and elon- 

 gated breast of the bird. According to Dr. Abbott, the youngsters are scantily 

 covered when hatched with a pale buffy down, interspersed with white hairs as 

 long as the bird itself. They are unusually active and vivacious, and learn to 

 shift for themselves much sooner than the young of the tree-nesting Herons. 



No. 210. 



GREAT BLUE HERON. 



A. O. U. No. 194. Ardea herodias Linn. 



Synonym. — Blue Crane. 



Description. — Adult: Crown, sides of head, and throat white; occiput and 

 top of head on sides glossy black, the feathers elongated into an occipital crest; 

 neck pale, purplish brown ; a mesial stripe in front black, white and ochraceous ; 

 feathers of the side of the neck in front much lengthened, whitish and purplish 

 brown; breast and belly broadly streaked with black and white in about equal 

 proportions ; thighs cinnamon rufous ; lower tail-coverts white ; above nearly uni- 

 form slaty blue ; the scapulars lanceolate, sometimes varied with bluish white ; black 

 shoulder tufts of plumulaceous feathers, arching over band of folded wing, and 

 continuous with black on the sides of the breast ; wing-quills, lining of the wings, 



