670 
A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS 
“ Fly-up-the-Creek,” “ Chalk-line,” and “ Chuckle-head ” being 
a few of the list to which every small boy feels it his duty 
to add one, usually of a very uncomplimentary nature. 
Black-crowned Night Heron : Nycticorax nyticorax naevius. S. R. 
Qua Bird; Quawk 
Length: 23-26 inches. 
Male and Female: Above either dull or greenish black; tail, wings, 
and neck grayish. Throat and forehead whitish. Below livid 
white. Crest of three long, white feathers rolled into one. Bill 
black ; legs yellow. 
Season: Common summer resident; April to October. 
Nest: Nest not large, built in a very slovenly manner in tree tops, 
usually in communities. 
Eggs-' 3-4, P a l e sea-green. 
Another common Heron, only second to the Green in abun- 
dance. Here it frequents inland ponds in preference to the salt- 
marshes, and, though I have not found its nests, I have seen 
the birds all the way from Mill River to Redding under cir- 
cumstances that point to their breeding in single pairs. 
They are nocturnal, as the name indicates, and when you 
come upon them in their roosts by daylight they are dazed and 
sleepy, and use an effort to pull themselves together, but at 
twilight their heavy, dark bodies may be seen flying overhead, 
identified beyond question by the cry, “ quok-quok,” uttered at 
regular intervals. 
ORDER ANSERES : LAMELLIROSTRAL 
SWIMMERS 
Family Anatidae: Ducks, Geese, Etc. 
Subfamily Anatinae: River Ducks 
Black Duck: Anas obscura. R. 
Dusky Duck 
Length: 22 inches. 
Male and Female: Bill greenish yellow. Above dusky, but not black; 
feathers edged with rusty brown. Neck, throat, and sides of 
head streaked with grayish and dark. Below brownish. Specu- 
lum violet and black; in the male tipped with white. Legs red. 
Season: A resident, but more plentiful in the migrations. 
Breeds: From New Jersey to Labrador. 
Nest: A mat of marsh grasses on the ground. 
Eggs: 8-10, a drab yellow. 
