Herons of Alachua Co., Florida. 
F. Go Pearson, 
AMERICAN EGRET. 
Five years ago the American Egret was very 
common around our lakes and ponds, but 
through the agency of man, especially the 
plume hunters, its numbers have been reduced 
to such an extent that at the present time it 
is seldom met with in any great numbers. 
During the breeding season the Egret is 
adorned with a magnificent train of long 
white plumes, which, starting from the back, 
float far behind the tail, even reaching to the 
feet or beyond while flying. 
On March 28 , 1888 , I found pei'haps a dozen 
pair breeding at Levey Lake. The rookery 
was on a partly submerged island one mile 
from shore, and the nests were placed in the 
bushes usually about three feet above the 
water. Incubation at this date was far 
advanced; in fact, in at least one-half of the 
nests examined the eggs had hatched. No 
fresh eggs were found on this day at all. The 
usual number in a nest was three, sometimes, 
however, only two, and in no case were four 
found in a single nest. 
While on a camping and collecting ex¬ 
pedition in Walkahootta Hammock my partner 
and I, on April 27 , 1889 , found a few pair of 
Egrets breeding in the buttonwood bushes of 
a slew just east of Horse Prairie, although 
at this late date the nests contained eggs only 
partially incubated. The usual number of 
eggs in this case was also three. Four were 
found in a nest in one instance. A set of four 
fresh eggs were taken by my partner from a 
nest in the northern part of the county on 
March 26 tli of the same year. These birds 
around here are becoming quite shy and it 
frequently requires considerable caution to 
approach within gun-shot of them. 
Q.& O.Yol.l7,Mar.l892 p. 37 
On a Collection of Eggs’ from 
Georgia, fi. B,Bailey, 
8p. Herodias alba egretta. American Egret. — Nests on trees in 
fresh-water ponds; eggs three. April 18. 
Bull. N.O.Os a , Jan, X 883 , P .42 
