258 Birds Every Child Should Know 
the last egret of Southern swamps have yielded 
their bodies to the knife of the plume hunter, 
who cuts out the exquisite decorations these 
birds wear during the nesting season. Inas- 
much as all the heron babies depend upon 
their parents through an unusually long, help- 
less infancy, the little orphans are left to die by 
starvation. For what end is the slaughter of 
the innocents? Merely that the unthinking 
heads of vain women may be decked out with 
aigrettes! Don’t blame the poor hunters too 
much when the plumes are worth their weight 
in gold. 
LITTLE GREEN HERON 
Called also: Poke; Chuckle-head 
This most abundant member of his tropical 
tribe that spends the summer with us, is a shy, 
solitary bird of the swamps where you would 
lose your rubber boots in the quagmire if you 
attempted to know him too intimately. But 
you may catch a glimpse of him as he wades 
about the edge of a pond or creek with slow, 
calculated steps, looking for his supper. All 
herons become more active toward evening 
because their prey does. By day, this heron, 
like his big, blue cousin, might be mistaken for 
