The Black-crowned Night Heron 



five handsome eggs, of the well-known 

 heron-blue type, may sometimes be 

 glimpsed from below. "Finders is hav- 

 ers," where the oologist is concerned with 

 this comparatively rare breeding species, 

 although you might suppose that a pair 

 laying in an old crow's nest (May 12, 

 1 910) would have escaped the attention 

 of even such an astute collector as Sydney 

 Peyton. 1 



The parent birds are very solicitous 

 for their eggs and young, and employ, 

 in their efforts to discourage investigation, 

 an exceedingly low type of Dutch. Be- 

 sides disgusting execrations, which are 

 half hiss and half caw, the anxious bird 

 cries snkowk, in a very loud voice, and 

 flirts its wings and jerks its tail in a 

 manner which would intimidate a smaller 

 foe. 



A nestful of callow young is an inter- 

 esting sight. At a signal from the old 

 bird the youngsters pause and freeze with 

 upturned beaks, looking like a tiny group 

 of palisades done in bronze. They know, 

 too, when to be silent; and one would not 

 often discover them, save for the abun- 

 dance of whitewash which adorns the 

 surrounding limbs and the ground below. 



If disturbed, they can clamber out of the nest and make off across the 



surrounding branches with great agility. 





Taken in Santa Barbara Photo by the Author 

 A GHOSTLY WATCHER 



No. 387 



Black-crowned Night Heron 



A. O. U. No. 202. Nycticorax nycticorax nsevius (Boddaert). 

 Synonyms. — Qua-bird. Quawk. Night Squawk. 



Description. — Adult in breeding plumage: Extreme forehead and line over eye 

 white; entire underparts white, — pure on chin and throat, elsewhere delicately tinged 



'Condor. Vol. XIII., p. 35. 



1 9IO 



