THE OOLOGIST. 
I we will soon be able to present it to our 
readers. 
DKVOTKD TO mK'l>S AX1> IUKl»S KUdS. 
S. L. W-ILLARD & COm 
Epitors. 
TiiK I'esidt of our prize offer will be prr- 
t:euted in our November uumber, as it h 
too early now to uiake a delinite decision. 
Subscnptiou (in advaue*>) 50 cent? a year^ t 
^P^Postairc frc'.' on nU subseriplions. 
—Liberal Oommission to Agents.— 
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Jt^^Kates ofadverlisin^' on la.st page. 
Address all eouuniuiications to 
Tin: OuuxiLvr, I'tica. X. Y. 
SKPTEMHER and OCTOBER/ 1875. 
The 
AMERICAN BIRDS. 
Sensitive Siglit and Hearing of the 
Great Blue Heron. 
( )( >I.O< i I< 'AL M A ITKIt-S IX (t KNElt AL 
OfHSKLVliS IN PaUTICCLAI?. 
AXD 
TVTO itoDBT tiie reader is somewhat sur- 
pi'iscd at our (Mnisolidated form and 
double-dated .sheet this month, but eousid- 
t*rin*; tlie reasons w<; submit, we believe 
that we arc excusable to a certain defrree. 
We know there will be some dissatisfied 
ones among our subscribers, but the ma- 
jority will, we liojie, accept our consolidat- 
ed form as a mere luatter of urgency. We ! 
offer double, if not triple attractions in it,i 
to compensate for our involuntary compact, | 
in the form of superior and more interesting ' 
reading and beautiful illustrations, making 
The Oologist appear more like a magii- i 
zine of superior merit and appearance. ' 
Our motive we obtained fron» the editors 
of a prominent amateur paper, and to ex- 
plain it in us few words as piissible, we re- 
qnire a short vacation from our editorial 
jHid ouli)M;i(.;il duties. Of late we have been 
constantly pressed with orders for articles 
vt-(iiiired by amateiu* collectors, and this, 
coud)ined with a natural desire to rest 4Mir 
brains for awhile, and to spend a few weeks 
among oiu' feathered tjn'orites, stimulated 
us to follow the course we havii. A minor 
I'cason, too, is that we are preparing a book 
(for publication soon), and by acquiring a 
little time now and then in our vacation, 
This bird possesses, of all herons, a very 
acute sense of sight and hearing, the latter 
however being the most sensitive. In many 
instanr-es these birds will observe the aj)- 
proacli of a ]>erson at the distance of near- 
ly forty rods, either by sight or hearing. 
His siglit is rendered doubly acute to the 
sportsman, as his head and neck, being of 
the same general color as the stony shores 
he freipients, serves to carry the hunter too 
near his intended victim before he is aware 
the bird is watching him. 
Often this bird will stand for hours over 
one spot, — usually a deep water hole under 
the roots of an old dead tree — motionless 
and ne<'k doubled betAveeu the shoul- 
ders, watching for its prey. Theu it is, 
that the naturalist will have difficulty in 
shooting the king of nortbern waders. Si- 
lent and motionless, without the least indi- 
cation of movement, he gazes into the depths 
of the wator at bis feet. The uatiu-alist 
approaches, and the bird is observ ed very 
silently and slowly to turn his head until it 
is at right angles with tiie direction of the 
sound he hears. In this manner the Her- 
on stands until con\'ineed that safety must 
be secun»d in some more distant part, when 
lowering the body and hunching the neck, 
the wings take it out of range of the baffled 
hunter's gun, who now springs up from the 
grass and gazes far oflf' at what might have 
been his own, but is lost to him forever."" 
W.H.C. 
SKVKUALSubscriptif>ns expire this mouth 
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