YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. 91 



the place selected for it, and the abundance of food in the neighbourhood. 

 In the interior of swampy woods, in Lower Louisiana, I have found the 

 nests placed on the tops of the loftiest cypresses, and on low bushes, but 

 seldom so close together as those of many other Herons. On the Florida 

 Keys, where I have examined more of these tenements than in any other 

 part, I found them either on the tops of mangroves, which there seldom 

 attain a greater height than twenty-five feet, or on their lowest branches, 

 and not more than two or three feet from the water. In the Carolinas, they 

 usually resort to swamps, nestling on the bushes along their margins. The 

 nest is similar to that of other Herons, being formed of dry sticks loosely 

 put together, and a few weeds, with at times a scanty lining of fibrous roots. 

 The eggs are generally three, never, in as far as I have seen, more, of a pale 

 blue colour, inclining to green, thin-shelled, and averaging two inches in 

 length by an inch and three and a half eighths in their greatest breadth. 

 The young seldom remain in the nest until able to fly, as is the case with 

 those of some other species, but usually leave it to follow their parents along 

 the shores. If scared from the nest, they scramble along the branches with 

 considerable agility, and hide whenever an opportunity occurs. I have 

 given the figure of a young bird procured in October. 



The differences between the periods at which this bird breeds in different 

 latitudes, correspond with those observed with respect to other species of 

 the same tribe. Thus, eggs and young may be procured on the Florida 

 Keys six weeks sooner than in South Carolina, although two broods are 

 usually raised in both districts, the birds frequently removing from one 

 place to another for the purpose. The beautiful slender plumes on the head 

 and back generally fall off soon after incubation commences, although I have 

 on a few occasions found the male still bearing these ornaments when the 

 female was sitting on her second set of eggs. When the young are just able 

 to fly 1 have found them good eating, but the old birds I never relished. 



When wounded, the Yellow-crowned Heron defends itself vigorously 

 with its claws, the scratches inflicted by which are severe, and also strikes 

 with the bill. If not brought to the ground, in a place where the trees are 

 close and thickly branched, it is difficult to obtain them without a second 

 shot, for they scamper quickly from one twig to another, and are very soon 

 out of reach. 



Wilson complains that the name "Yellow-crowned" should be given to 

 this species, and this would almost induce me to suppose that he had 

 never seen one in the breeding season, when the white of the head is 

 strongly tinged with yellow, which however disappears at the approach of 

 autumn, when the bird might with all propriety be named the White- 

 crowned Heron. 



