38 



THE COLLECTOR'S MONTHLY. 



The beautiful Snowy Herons are rather 

 rare summer visitors to Long Tsland, 

 and may rarely breed. I have never met 

 with them at the East end. "I saw one 

 at Mount Sinai Harbor April 16th 1879, 

 and shot one, from a flock of 18 or 20, 

 on Aug. 4th of the same year" (Helme). 

 In the swamp mentioned under the pre- 

 ceding species, there were more Snowy 

 Herons breeding than any other species. 

 A few were nesting in the branches of 

 low bushes and briars under the trees 

 occupied by the American Egrets, but 

 the bulk of them were breeding almost 

 entirely by themselves, in a thick fringe 

 of low bushes around an open pond. 

 Here their nests of sticks literally cover- 

 ed the bushes, in some cases being within 

 a foot of each other, and about all from 

 three to eighc feet from the water. They 

 contained from three to five pale blue eggs, 

 about 1% x 1% inches, all far advanced 

 in incubation. 



(91) 199. Ardea tricolor ruficollia. 

 Louisiana Heron, (492.) 



Above dull blue, becoming chestnut on the 

 neck. Throat brownish cream. Under parts 

 white. Breast and crown with lanceolate, snd 

 back with long filamentous plumes. Length 25 

 inches. 



Possibly a rare straggler to Long 

 Island from the South. Recorded from 

 New Jersey. I have found this species 

 breeding in Southeastern Georgia on 

 several occasions, but in each case only 

 a few pairs, near a much larger number 

 of other species, and the nests were placed 

 at an intermediate distance in elevation, 

 between the green and snowy herons, 

 and American Egrets, but this rule may 

 not apply in all cases, but only where 

 the trees and bushes occupied afford the 

 proper conditions. Eggs three to five, 

 pale bluish green, and about 1% x 1% in. 



(92) 200. Ardea cwrulea. 

 Little Blue Heron, (493) 



Slaty blue. Head and neck purplish. Legs 

 black. Bill bluish. Length 22 inches. 



Occurs as a rare straggler in late sum- 

 mer or autumn, in the young plumage 

 (white, except the bluish tips of the wings) 

 I received a specimen on Aug. 16, 1881, 

 from a gunner, who said he saw two, 

 this one was a female. " I saw an adult 

 at Mount Sinai, in company with the 

 Snowy Herons above mentioned'' 

 (Helme). In the Mcintosh Co., Georgia, 

 heronry was a colony of about 50 pairs 

 of the present species, which nested en- 

 tirely by themselves, in a very secluded 

 part of the swamp, half a mile or more 

 from any other speeiea, in low bushes in 

 a small pond. Nest slightly hollowed 

 platforms of sticks. Eggs three to five, 

 pale greenish blue, and about 1% x 1% in. 



Demorlized Birds. 



(For the Collectors' Monthly.) 



Some of the birds in this part of the 

 country have been completely demoraliz- 

 ed by the recent snow storm. 



A friend of mine was coming up town 

 in a horse car last Friday morning, when 

 the driver stopped his horses, got out of 

 the car and began cutting with his whip 

 at a Wilsons Snipe which was sitting in a 

 tree over the pavement. A few other 

 Snipes have been seen in the outer section 

 of the city. 



Another party reports having seen a 

 Wood-cock in the business center of the 

 city, and the crows have been roosting 

 on the chimneys of the houses. 



Wm. H. Fisher. 



Baltamore, Md. March 7, '92. 



Springville, N. Y., March, 6th 1892. 

 Mr, C. H. Prince, Dear StB : 



Collectors' Monthly received this noon. Con- 

 tinue to send same. Your little journal is an ex- 

 cellent paper and would not be without it. 

 Yours respectfully, 



Dr. A. G. Prill. 



