"SNAKE-BIRD" 



75 



The great blue heron 

 usually nests in trees. The 

 Florida" bird flies with 



Great Blue its neck curved 

 Heron Group back on its 



body and because of this 

 habit can readily be distin- 

 guished from the crane with 

 which it is frequently con- 

 founded. (Reproduced from 

 studies near St. Lucie, 

 Florida.) 



In the "bonnets" or yel- 

 low pond-lily swamps with 

 Water Turkey cypresses and 

 or cabbage pal- 



" Snake-bird" m ettoes, the 

 Group ghy water tm ._ 



key builds its nest. It 



receives the name " turkey " 



from its turkey-like tail and 



the title "snake-bird" from 



its habit of swimming with 



only the long slender neck 



above water. (Reproduced 



from studies near St. Lucie, 



Florida.) 



The sandhill crane builds 



its nest of reeds in the water. 



Sandhill Unlike the 



Crane Group herons in this 



, -, , - a , A PORTION OF THE EGRET GROUP 



respect, it diners also in , . 



. fl . , . As shown here, the birds carry their plumes only 



its manner Ot night, always during the nesting season; killing the parents means 

 Stretching its neck well the slow starvation of the young, 

 when on the wing. (Re- 

 produced from studies on the Kissimmee Prairies of Florida.) 



Pelican Island on the Indian River of Florida has been made a 

 reservation by the United States Government and these grotesque birds 

 Brown Pelican may now breed there undisturbed. The view shows a 

 Group section of the island at the height of the nesting season. 



Notwithstanding the hundreds of young birds that are clamoring for 

 food, observation has shown that the parent bird can pick out its own 



