BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON 

 (Nycticorax naevius naevius). 



Length, about 24 inches. The black crown distin- 

 guishes it from its relative, the yellow-crowned night 

 heron. 



Range: Breeds from northern Oregon, southern 

 Wyoming, southern Manitoba, and central Quebec 

 south to Patagonia; winters from northern Cali- 

 fornia and Gulf States southward. 



Given for a roosting place a suitable stand of leafy 

 trees, especially evergreens, conveniently near a 

 stream or pond that harbors fish, frogs and tad- 

 poles, and any locality may have its colony of night 

 herons. As its name implies, this heron is a bird of 

 the night, not leaving its roost till dusk when, with 

 frequent iteration of its hoarse quawk, it wings its 

 way in the gathering gloom straight to its feeding 

 place. So rarely is the bird about in daylight that a 

 large colony may exist for years near a town or large 

 city, and not above a dozen individuals have an 

 inkling of its existence. True to its sociable instincts, 

 the night heron by preference nests in colonies, and 

 several pairs often place their rude nests of sticks 

 in the same tree; or, in the absence of trees, as in the 

 extensive tule swamps of the far west, where other 

 conditions are ideal for herons, they nest on the 

 ground or on the prostrate tules, hundreds of pairs 

 being associated together. 



This heron sometimes feeds on field mice, but it 

 eats too many fish to please the fishculturist, and 

 after it has once learned the way to a hatchery strong 

 measures are needed to discourage its activities. 



HERRING GULL (Larus argentatus). 



Length, about 24 inches. Deep pearl gray above; 

 much of rest of plumage white. Not readily distin- 

 guished in life from its allies. 



Range: Breeds in Alaska and in Arctic regions 

 south to southern British Columbia, southern 

 Alberta, northern North Dakota, central Wisconsin, 

 southern Ontario, northern New York, and Maine; 

 winters from southern British Columbia to Lower 

 California and western Mexico, and from Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence and Great Lakes south to Bahamas, 

 Yucatan, and coast of Texas. 



All things considered, the herring gall is probably 

 the best known of the family by reason of its 

 abundance and wide distribution. Moreover, this 

 is the gull most frequently noticed by passengers as 

 it follows in the wake of our ocean and trans-Atlantic 

 steamers. It breeds no farther south than the coast 

 of Maine, but in winter it is very numerous along the 

 Atlantic coast and in many of our inland ponds. It 

 does excellent service as a scavenger in our harbors, 

 venturing fearlessly among the shipping to secure 

 anything edible that may find its way overboard. 

 The services of this and other gulls in such a capacity 

 are so valuable that their destruction under any 

 pretense is to be deprecated. When the craze for 

 feathered hat gear was at its height thousands of 

 gulls, without regard to species, were killed for 

 millinery purposes, but it is to be hoped that, now 

 the sale of their feathers is illegal practically every- 

 where in the United States, the gulls will rapidly 

 increase. 



(See Biol. Surv. Bui. 17, pp. 53, 80.) 



GREAT BLUE HERON (Ardea herodias 



and sub-species). 



Length, from 42 to 50 inches. 



Range: Breeds from the southern Canadian 

 provinces south to southern Lower California, 

 southern Mexico and South Atlantic States; winters 

 from Oregon, the Ohio Valley and Middle States 

 south to the West Indies, Panama and Venezuela. 



When one sees a large bluish bird, with long neck 

 and stilt-like legs, standing motionless by river, 

 pond or lake, or slowly wading in the shallows, he 

 may be sure he has before him the great blue heron, 

 and a notable bird he is in many ways. Wary as this 

 heron is and keen to scent danger, he offers so tempt- 

 ing a mark as he wings his way slowly along, with 

 head and neck drawn in against the body and long 

 legs trailing behind, or as he stands motionless 

 watching for game, that he is frequently shot "just 

 for the fun of it." This wanton taking of life is never 

 justifiable, but when the life cut short represents so 

 much beauty and grace as are embodied in this 

 stately bird, the crime seems doubly heinous. 

 Naturally this heron is much less common than he 

 used to be. 



Small fish, frogs, tadpoles, and snakes form the 

 bulk of his food, and in some regions he is a deter- 

 mined foe of mice and gophers, and the sight of a 

 heron in the midst of a dry pasture or in a stubble 

 field watching for a gopher to emerge from his hole 

 is very common. 



(See Biol. Surv. Bui. 31, p. 52; also Bui. 17, p. 217.) 



COMMON TERN (Sterna hirundo). 



Length, about 15 inches. The pearl-gray breast 

 and belly distinguish the adult of this tern from its 

 relatives. The outer web of the outer tail feathers is 

 darker than the inner web; the reverse is true of 

 Forster's Tern, its nearest ally. 



Range: Breeds from Great Slave Lake, central 

 Keewatin and southern Quebec south to southwest- 

 ern Saskatchewan, northern North Dakota, southern 

 Wisconsin, northern Ohio and North Carolina; 

 winters from Florida to Brazil. 



Our common tern is, alas, common no longer. The 

 Atlantic coast is peculiarly fitted to be the home of 

 the terns by reason of the extensive shallows and 

 the great number of sandy islands on which terns 

 and gulls used to breed in absolute safety. At the 

 bidding of fashion, however, thousands of these 

 beautiful creatures were slaughtered till the sand 

 was red with their blood and island colonies that used 

 to number thousands were exterminated. No excuse 

 serves to palliate the crime of the wholesale murder 

 of these graceful sea swallows, as they are aptly 

 termed, which used to make our shores so attractive 

 by their presence. But the tide seems to have 

 turned, partly at least. The Government has set 

 aside islands as breeding resorts and places of refuge 

 and, through the activity of Audubon Societies and 

 of individual workers, a certain measure of safety 

 seems now assured to these persecuted birds. It 

 may even prove possible, by the bird sanctuary plan, 

 to increase their numbers again and make them a 

 familiar sight along our deserted shores. Could the 

 sentiment of the women of the United States be 

 united for their protection, all doubt as to the 

 future of these beautiful creatures would be re- 

 moved, but so long as the arbiter of Fashion decrees 

 feathers on hats, so long will the eternal vigilance of 

 their friends be needed to assure the safety of the 

 small remnant of this species and its kindred. 



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