94 
WADING BIRDS. 
towards night, and in the wide gullet which commences at the 
immediate base of the bill they probably carry a supply for the 
use of their young. 
In the month of October I obtained two specimens of the 
young Night Heron in their second plumage; these were so 
extremely fat that the stomach was quite buried in cakes of it 
like tallow. Their food had been Ulva latissima, small fish, 
grasshoppers, and a few coleopterous insects ; so that at this 
cool season of the year these birds had ventured out to hunt 
their fare through the marsh by day, as well as evening. In 
the stomach of one of these birds, towards its upper orifice, 
were parasitic worms like taenia. About the time of their 
departure the young, in their plumbeous dress, associate 
together early in the morning, and proceed in flocks, either 
wholly by themselves, or merely conducted by one or two old 
birds in a company. 
I have visited two heronries of this species in northern New 
Brunswick, on streams emptying into the Gulf of St. Lawrence at 
about latitude 47°. It is common in the Musk oka district of Ontario, 
and Mr. Gunn reports it numerous at Shoal Lake in Manitoba. 
He found the nests placed on the ground among the reeds. 
The bird is a common summer resident of New England, though 
extremely local in its distribution. The heronry at Fresh Pond, 
Cambridge, which was celebrated in former years, has been deserted 
for some time. 
LITTLE BLUE HERON. 
BLUE EGRET. 
Ardea CCERULEA. 
Char. General plumage dark ashy blue; head and neck rich maroon ; 
plumes on back of head, breast, and back, the last extending over and 
beyond the tail ; bill slender, curved at the point, and of blue color shad- 
ing to black at the tip ; legs and feet black ; eyes yellow. Sometimes the 
plumage is “pied,” — of blue and white, — and occasionally it is almost 
entirely white, with some traces of blue. The young are usually white, 
spotted more or less with blue. Length 22 to 26 inches. 
Nest. Usually in a large community or “ heronry j” placed on a top 
branch of a tree or bush ; made of twigs loosely laid. 
Ei'gs. 2-5 ; bluish green ; size variable, averaging about 1.75 X 1.30. 
