Stoddard, on Birds of Southern Wisconsin 
71 
deep and solidly built of good sized sticks, well lined with soft 
inner bark strips, and were completely “limed” before the eggs 
were laid. The heron nests in this colony were of very unusual 
size, due perhaps to the ease with which brittle dead sticks could 
be obtained nearby. 
Branta c. canadensis (Canada Goose). — I was informed that 
these geese wintered in much larger numbers than is usual on 
Sauk Prairie, due perhaps to the open winter and lack of deep 
snows. Many thousands were seen by Ochsner, Albert Gastrow, 
and me on a row-boat trip April 10, through the flooded woods 
of Lake Wisconsin. At times flock after flock would rise from 
different parts of the timber and mill around until the air 
seemed full of geese. Many hundreds still present on April 20. 
Three or four small flocks frequented Sauk Prairie until the 
first week in May. They were extremely regular in their habits 
in fair weather. Flying to the rye fields from the river bars 
where they had spent the day, a few minutes before sundown, 
they would remain until dark. Appearing again in the morning 
just before sunrise, they would remain and feed until the farmers 
started to work in the fields. In rainy weather when no teams 
were out, they remained in the rye most of the day. 
Wishing to collect a few fine specimens for a group, Mr. 
Ochsner and I concealed ourselves in rebuilt corn shocks in a 
field that they frequented regularly. Soon after daylight a 
flock of about twenty alighted a few rods in front of my loca- 
tion, followed in a few minutes by about forty that came in 
with much argument and flapping directly behind. My part 
of the field, which included a considerable rise in the ground, 
seemed to be favored by the birds this morning, and I could 
hear them talking in hoarse undertones as they fed my way. 
Soon they commenced trooping by in twos and threes, pulling 
corn off the shocks or standing erect looking for danger. Oc- 
casionally they would quarrel a little and none dared to ap- 
proach one cranky old gander with a lame leg. I scarcely 
breathed as they commenced to pull at the rear of the shock 
that concealed me, one finally coming around and peering in, 
then shying off like a spirited horse from a paper in the road. 
Though two fine specimens were collected, it was the presence of 
these wary creatures all about, almost within arms reach, that 
will linger in the memory. So shy are they that they never 
returned to this field before leaving for the north, though no 
other corn was out on the entire prairie. 
Ardea Tierodias (Great Blue Heron). — A flourishing, well- 
