The Louisiana Heron 



April, 1914, two birds appeared at "Sandyland," near Santa Barbara; 

 while on the 26th of May, 1914, we ran plump into a small breeding 

 colony of five pairs at Los Banos. 



We had seen the birds for several days previously, standing like 

 marble statues at the margin of the smaller ponds, looking, no doubt, for 

 tadpoles and minnows, or else stalking sedately about on the dry land. 

 The country hereabouts is nearly destitute of trees, so we found the 

 Snowies making their humble cradles in the depths of a small cat-tail 

 island along with two hundred pairs of Squawks. 



The quarters were so narrow and the nests so crowded, and the birds 

 rose at such a distance, that we could not among the thronging, squawking 

 Night Herons, trace any of the gentle silent Snowies to their nests. But 

 we soon made out eggs of a definitely smaller type, reposing on a platform 

 which for construction was indistinguishable from those of the Squawks, 

 mere shelves of broken-down reeds interspersed or reinforced with twigs of 

 spirostachys. Five of these suspected nests were discovered, four of 

 which contained five eggs each and one four. On the 27th of May the 

 fair prisons on one of the platforms began to burst open, and they de- 

 livered at intervals of two days chicks covered with long sparse white 

 down. Their appearance, indubitable Snowies, taught us two things: 

 viz., that the Snowy Heron deposits its eggs every other day, and — the 

 complementary fact — that incubation begins with the depositing of the 

 first egg. Indeed, this must be the rule with all birds of this group, for 

 with eggs left exposed in such a situation, the sun's rays or enemies 

 would be fatal from the first. The chicks so hatched showed also an 

 increasing disparity in size and strength, but even the week-old first-born 

 when visited on June 4th was amazingly small and helpless. The entire 

 brood sat with open mouths panting lustily; yet not even the oldest 

 offered any defense, as, I am sure, a like-aged Squawk would have done. 



No. 385 



Louisiana Heron 



A. O. U. No. 199. Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis (Gosse). 



Description. — Adult : "Slaty-blue on back and wings; mostly white below and 

 along throat-line; crest and most of neck reddish-purple, mixed below with slaty; longest 

 narrow feathers of crest white; lower back and rump white, but concealed by the dull 

 purplish-brown feathers of the train, which whitens toward the end. Bill black and 

 blue, more lilac at base and to lores; legs and feet slate-color; iris red. Adults in winter 

 lack the plumes and have the bill black and yellow; lores yellow; legs yellowish-green, 

 dusky. in front; iris red. Young variously different but never white; lacking long 

 occipital plumes and dorsal train; neck and back bright brownish-red; rump, throat- 



/po6 



