The Egret at Marshfield, Massachusetts . — The town of Marshfield 
is situated about thirty miles southeast of Boston bordering on Massa¬ 
chusetts Bay. There is a considerable stretch of salt marshes with a 
number of small ponds or pools scattered here and there. It is an ideal 
place for water birds. 
On July 30, 1911, in company with Mr. Joseph A. Hagar of Marshfield 
and Mr. Harold D. Mitchell of Newtonville, I observed a pair of Egrets 
(.Herodias egretta) feeding in one of the numerous pools on the marshes 
at Marshfield. We first saw them from a hill about three-quarters of a 
mile away. Under the cover of bushes and stone-walls we approached 
to within about four hundred feet, then, at times crawling flat on our 
stomachs, Mr. Hagar and I gained the shelter of a blind, not over two 
hundred feet away from the birds. 
With the Egrets was a Great Blue Heron ( Ardea herodias herodias) which 
remained perfectly motionless on the bank, while the others were nervously 
moving about. Comparing them with the Blue Heron, they appeared 
to be rather smaller; in form similar, but more slender, especially the neck. 
The entire plumage was pure white, the bill bright yellow, and the legs 
and feet black. When they saw that they were observed they became very 
restless and shy and kept walking up and down the bank with quick, 
graceful steps. One was always on watch while the other was preening 
its plumage or catching fish. Several times they ran quickly towards each 
other and with outstretched wings, and in a rather ludicrous manner, 
bobbed, bowed and touched their bills together. At this time we thought 
that we saw two or three “ aigrette ” plumes on the back of one of the 
Egrets, but of this we were not certain. They were altogether silent while 
we were near. 
Their movements and flight were more graceful and agile than those of 
the Blue Heron and their snow-white plumage showed up very plainly 
against the dark background. We observed the Egrets for over an hour 
and have no.doubt of their identification. They were not albino Blue 
Herons. 
After I had returned home to Jamaica Plain, Mr. Hagar wrote me a 
letter, dated August 13, from which I take the following: “ Two days later, 
on August 14, I was fortunate enough to approach them (the Egrets) 
within one hundred and thirty feet by actual measurement, first on foot 
and then in a ducking boat. This time they were feeding along the bank 
of the river and were much less wild. The night of August 1 they changed 
their feeding grounds to the Scit.uate side of North River, about five miles 
north of where we first saw them. They were reported by various persons 
for almost a week before I saw them again. They were usually seen 
feeding on the nlarshes or perched in some large dead tree along the edge 
of the marsh. On August 5 I saw them late in the afternoon and for the 
first time heard their note, a harsh guttural ‘ squawk,’ not unlike the note 
of the Black-crowned Night Heron ( Nycticorax nydicorax ncevius). 
“ On August 8, while out in a dense fog on the marshes, I heard a hoarse 
squawk and looking up, saw the Egrets directly overhead. That day 
either they parted company or one was shot, for the next morning one was 
seen on the marshes and another (or perhaps the same one, in the former 
case) on the shore of a little pond seven or eight miles back from the coast. 
The next night they disappeared, nor have I heard of them since.” 
The 24th of July a local gunner told Mr. Hagar that a few days pre¬ 
viously he had seen a pair of “ White Herons ” with several Great Blue 
Herons near the mouth of the North and South Rivers in Scituate. This 
would indicate that the Egrets had been in the vicinity for about a month 
at least. 
From the ‘ Birds of Massachusetts,’ by Howe and Allen (1901), page 45: 
“ Ardea egretta. American Egret. An occasional summer visitant. 
Records from: Ashland, Dedham, Hudson, Ipswich, Lynn, Nantucket, 
North Hadley, Plymouth, Quincy, Springfield, Topsfield, Wellesley, West 
Brookfield, and Westford. Last record: Nantucket, one taken Sept. 23, 
1890 (Auk, Vol. VII, Jan., 1891). Apr., May, Aug., Sept., Nov.” 
Marshfield is a new town and July a new month for their appearance, 
and 1890 is the latest year that I find any authentic record of Egrets in 
Massachusetts. — Harold L. Barrett, Jamaica Plain, Mass. 
Auk 2S,Oct~101i p. - if. 
