sA I squatted clear out of sight for a minute or.: 
twua and when I raised my head again they 
were, both at the nest. 
ForSin instant I hesitated but 1 might destroy 
the eggs, and while I was waiting one Hew off 
to a distance of about a hundred yards. After 
looking carefully about for a few minutes, he 
gave a call a*ud his mate rose from her nest and 
joined him. J'hey seemed to be making a lot 
of fuss out there, kicking up the sand, squat¬ 
ting down andVaekling like mad. In a few 
flutes though they seemed to get over this 
citement and on& bird came Hying back and 
, settled on the egg& Now she Aegan to act 
strangely, wiggling found and squatting down 
again and 1 began to think she was going to 
lay another egg, when oil' she Went and joined 
her mate, who weleomedNieiv coming with the 
most extravagant cries andvgestures. But she 
sat down quite still and demure. 1 was about 
to rise and look for my tfiiiA egg when I saw 
her coming back. Again she went through the 
same operation and hei/secondvweleome was if 
possible more exuberant than the first. Then 
all was quiet; one bird sat on the sand and the. 
other stood silently by her, and though I wait¬ 
ed some time longer they showed^ no sign of 
returning again to their eggs and Tvcoukl only 
conclude that they had seen me watering them 
and would not come back until I wept away. 
So I arose from my uncomfortable posi\on and 
went to pick lip the eggs, when to my surprise 
the little hollow in the sand was empty. While 
I was watching the curious antics of the ferhale 
she had 1 i/ted the eggs between her legs iflnd 
J carried them off. So without giving time for 
her to repeat the offence I hurried to her uevw, 
quarters and secured them successfully. 
On ^preparing the specimens they proved to \ 
be slfghtly incubated and were no doubt a full ' 
set. The Oyster-catcher seems to deposit two 
as Aften as three eggs; at least that is my ex- 
ience in this locality. 
Nesting of the Great Blue Heron. 
BY HARRY R. TAYLOR, ALAMEDA, CAL. 
Often while watching a stately Great Blue 
Heron (Ardea herodias), flapping its course over 
one of the salt marshes adjacent to San Fran¬ 
cisco Bay, I have wondered in what part of 
Santa Clara Valley their nesting-place was sit¬ 
uated. On hearing this year, through a friend, 
that there were a lot of “big Blue Cranes” nest¬ 
ing within ten miles of San Jose, I set out 
NOTES ON HABITS OF A FEW BIRDS OF ORANGE 
COUNTY, FLORID A. 
« 
BY D. MORTIMER. 
Ardea herodias. Great Blue Heron. 
I he Great Blue Heron is commonly rather wary, but I have 
noticed one or two singular exceptions to this rule. On June 23, 
1888, my brother and I were fishing in a small creek that drains 
from the great prairie on the west shore of Lake Jessup. We 
had shifted our position to a certain point when we noticed that 
some creature was splashing about just around the nearest bend. 
Watching for a moment, we soon saw a Great Blue Heron bus¬ 
ily engaged in catching a lunch. It was wading in water that 
reached above the joints of its legs, and its mode of proceeding 
was to lift one foot after the other slowly and deliberately clear of 
the surface, thus moving steadily and silently. Frequently it struck 
to the right or left, first pausing and apparently taking careful aim. 
Occasionally it wished to reach some object at a distance out in 
the stream, when it plunged bodily forward and stretched its 
neck to the utmost, though it could no longer touch bottom with 
its feet. At these times it always spread its wings, and with 
their aid floundered backward to its former position in shallow wa¬ 
ter. The manoeuvre was decidedly awkward, though apparently 
always successful, as the bird could be observed swallowing 
what it had secured. We watched it for some time as it waded 
up and down the shore, and were surprised that it was not dis¬ 
turbed by our presence and conversation. Finally, to test its 
unconcern, my brother sculled the boat past it, keeping to the 
opposite shore, which, however, was less than twenty yards dis¬ 
tant from the bird. After he had passed the Heron, we talked 
back and forth past it, but the only notice it took of us was to 
stand motionless once or twice and look at us. It displayed the 
greatest proof of confidence as my brother was returning, for, as 
he was about opposite to its station, it made one of its comical 
plunges into deep water. We finally left it still pursuing its 
nourishment. ; Oct, 
13 ^ 0 , , 3Q7- A A 
