72 
THE WILSON BULLETIN—June, 1922 
protected colony of about one linndred and fifty pairs occupy 
tlie tallest timber in a large piece of woodland near the shores 
of Fox Lake, Dodge Comity. This colon^^ is partly on the 
property of Mr. Matt. Baird, who is interested in the birds and 
lias protected them. Most of the nests are in living oaks, elms, 
and maples, from seventy to eighty-five feet above the groniid. 
At the time of onr visit. May 17 to 23, the majority held young, 
from little fellows just hatched, to lusty youngsters a couple 
of weeks old, while a few contained eggs. Swarms of mosquitoes 
made Mr. Shrosbree’s life miserable below, as he collected the 
selected specimens of adult herons with his twenty-two rifle, I, 
meanwliile enjoying (?) the fishy stench among the nests above. 
We Avere greath^ assisted in the difficult task of secnring and 
loAvering the necessary nests and tree sections by Mr. Baird, 
Avho is very expert in the tree tops. 
The adults of this colony Avere exceptionally tame, thongh 
the great height of the nests and the density of the foliage made 
intimate studies of the nest life impracticable. Here at least 
they cannot be considered a menace to the game fish, as all 
evidence in their nests and in the stomachs of fourteen adults 
examined, shoAved that they AA^ere subsisting almost exclusively 
on carp. One large felloAA" had tAvo perfectly fresh ones nine 
inches in length in his neck, and another of over eleven inches in 
liis stomach. 
Ktjcticorax nijcticorax naevius (Black-croAAmed Night Her- 
on). — A colony Avith about fifty occn|)ied nests, three miles from 
Darlington, Lafayette County, Avas visited May 2. At this time 
it was in a thriving condition, most of the nests containing in- 
complete sets of eggs. On onr last visit, June 3 and 4, we AA^ere 
informed that the colony had been ‘‘shot up” by boys. The 
tAvelve to fifteen remaining nests mostly held young, from little 
felloAVS just hatched to large ones climbing on the edges of their 
nests and on nearby limbs, while a feAV still held eggs. The 
adults Avere iioav extremely wild and Avary. 
This colony Avas located in s*econd groAvth timber on a side 
liill a short distance from a small creek and a half mile from 
the Becatonica Kiver, on the farm of Mr. Charles Miller, who 
endeavors to protect them. 
TynipanucJms a. americanus (Prairie Chicken). — The morn- 
ing and evening gatherings of cock Prairie Chickens on some 
favorite knoll Avhere countless generations before them gathered, 
fought, “boomed,” and strutted, and where their OAvn descendants 
