THE REDDISH EGRET. 141 



feeds, when it strikes it, and immediately swallows it, if not too large; but 

 if so, it carries it to the shore, beats it, and tears it to pieces, rarely, how- 

 ever, using its feet for that purpose, and certainly never employing its 

 pectinated claws, which no Heron that I know of ever uses for any other 

 object than that of scratching its head, or perhaps of securing its steps on 

 rocky bottoms. These birds remain on the flats thus employed, until the 

 advance of the tide forces them to the land. 



The flight of this Heron is more elevated and regular than that of the 

 smaller species. During the love season, it is peculiarly graceful and elegant, 

 especially when one unmated male is pursuing another, a female being in 

 sight. They pass through the air with celerity, turn and cut about in curious 

 curves and zigzags, the stronger bird frequently erecting its beautiful crest, 

 and uttering its note, at the moment when it expects to give its rival a 

 thrust. When these aerial combats take place between old and immature 

 birds, their different colours form a striking contrast, extremely pleasing to 

 the beholder. While travelling to and from their feeding grounds, or from 

 one key to another, they propel themselves by easy, well-sustained, and 

 regular flappings of their extended wings, the neck reposing on the shoulders, 

 the legs stretched out behind like a rudder, while their beautiful thready 

 trains float in the breeze. On approaching a landing place, they seldom fail 

 to perform a few circumvolutions, in order to see that all around is quiet, 

 for they are more shy and wary than the smaller Herons, and almost as 

 suspicious as the two larger species, Ardea occidentalism and «/?. Herodias; 

 and this becomes apparent as soon as they discontinue the feeding of their 

 young, when you find it extremely difficult to approach them. After this 

 period I rarely shot one, unless I happened to come upon it unawares, or 

 while it was passing over me when among the mangroves. 



About the beginning of April, these Herons begin to pair. The males 

 chase each other on the ground, as well as in the air, and on returning to 

 their chosen females erect their crest and plumes, swell out their necks, pass 

 and repass before them, and emit hollow rough sounds, which it is impossible 

 for me to describe. It is curious to see a party of twenty or thirty on a 

 sand-bar, presenting as they do a mixture of colours from pure white to the 

 full hues of the old birds of either sex; and still more curious perhaps it is 

 to see a purple male paying his addresses to a white female, while at hand a 

 white male is caressing a purple female, and not far off are a pair of white, 

 and another of purple birds. Nay, reader, until I had witnessed these 

 remarkable circumstances, I felt some distrust respecting the statement of 

 the worthy pilot. I am even now doubtful if all the young breed the first 

 spring after their birth, and am more inclined to think that they do not, on 

 account of the large flocks of white birds of this species which during the 



