214 
The Snowy Egret 
in length and are straight. In the case of the Snowy Egret they are 
scarcely more than six inches long, are very fine, and are recurved at the 
tips. These are known among milliners as “cross aigrettes” to distinguish 
them from the “long white.” The plumes appear early in the year and 
the birds begin to drop them shortly after the young are hatched. At 
ing been shed during the course of the summer. 
In the case of the Snowy the plumes fall out more slowly, and some 
individuals at least are supposed to still carry them when in autumn 
they leave our shores for the Tropics. 
Snowy Egrets are found in swampy and marshy parts of tropical and 
sub-tropical America. They inhabit both fresh-water and salt-water 
marshes, and, unlike their larger relatives, even breed over salt water. 
They gather in colonies in the spring, and usually are found associated 
with Louisiana Herons and Little Blue Herons. 
In visiting Heron colonies, or “rookeries,” I have never been able 
to distinguish positively the eggs or nest of these three species. The 
only sure way of identification is carefully to watch a nest until the old 
bird not merely alights on the nest, but actuallv sits down and begins 
to brood the eggs. It should be borne in mind that simply because one 
sees a bird standing on a nest it is no infallible evidence that the nest 
belongs to that bird. Man-o’-war-birds are not known tO' lay their eggs 
anywhere on the coast of the United States, yet in Tampa Bay they have 
frequently been seen sitting on Cormorants’ nests. 
The nest of the Snowy Egret is made of twigs. Some of these may 
be a foot or more in length, especially those that make the foundation. 
Near the top the twigs become shorter and smaller, although there is 
the softer materials that make beds for so many other kinds of baby birds. 
On this thick, loosely constructed platform of twigs the four or five 
blue eggs are laid. The young at first are quite helpless, and aTer 
they begin to gain strength and sit up many days elapse before their 
long, wobbly legs are strong enough for the birds to stand on. Their 
toes are very long and the young at first move around in a most awkward 
manner. Were it not for the twigs that project everywhere from the 
sides of the nest many fledglings surely would be drowned. One may 
frequently see them with their necks hooked over one of these outlying 
twigs, and their long legs working convulsively as they seek to grasp 
the nest with their toes in an endeavor to regain a position on the platform. 
Most Heron rookeries are infested with “cotton-mouths,” or water- 
moccasins, and I have seldom visited a rookery that did not contain 
alligators. These reptiles not only are on the lookout for food that the 
the close of the nesting season the large Egret rarely 
possesses any plume-feathers, the forty or fifty nuptial 
plumes that adorned the bird earlier in the season hav- 
Nest and 
Eggs 
usually a ragged rim of sticks that project out at all 
sorts of angles. This is all. There are no feathers, 
leaves, fragments of moss, down or plants, or any of 
