418 
YELLO W-CKO WNED NIGHT HERON. 
the bird much, for after the stump had healed, he could eat nearly as well as usual. They 
would all fish for themselves, and during their nightly rambles, would sometimes fall in 
with others of the same species and induce the strangers to return to roost with them, in a 
small orchard back of the house, so that quite a company would gather there at times. 
But upon my approach, they would all rise with loud cries, accompanied by the tame ones 
who would follow their friends some distance, but after a time, would invariably return to 
their roosts. These birds remained with me until autumn, when they departed, evidently 
migrating with their wild companions, and I never saw them again. The Night Herons 
usually migrate from Massachusetts, early in November, but a few seasons ago, when the 
weather was unusually mild, they remained in this vicinity all winter. 
NYOTIARDEA VIOLACEA. 
Yellow-crowned Eight Heron. 
lSycliardea violacea Sw., .Birds, II; 1837, 354. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Ch. Form, robust. Size, rather small. Tongue, long, thin, and gradually tapering toward tip which is point¬ 
ed. Back and head, furnished with long, lanceolate plumes. Lower third of tibia, naked. 
Color. Adult. Pale ashy-blue throughout, streaked on back with black. Upper half of neck and head, blue-black, 
with top of latter, and patch on its side, pale straw-yellow. Iris, orange. Naked space about head, greenish. Legs, yel¬ 
low. Bill, black. 
Youny. Dark greenish-brown above, streaked and spotted with yellowish. Ashy-white beneath streaked with brown. 
,Legs, greenish. 
. OBSERVATIONS. 
The adult may be known by the yellow crown, and the young by the small size, short, thick bill, and dark greenish 
color on back. Distributed, in summer, from the Carolinas, southward. Winters in Southern Florida. Stragglers are oc¬ 
casionally found as far north as Massachusetts. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of specimens from Florida. Length, 22’50; stretch, 41 - 00; wing, 1P50; tail, 4'25; bill, 3‘00; 
tarsus, 3’40. Longest specimen, 23 - 00; greatest extent of wing, 42-00; longest wing, 12 00; tail, 4'50; bill, 3'10; tarsus, 
3 65. Shortest specimen, 22 - 00; smallest extent of wing, 40’00; shortest wing, ll’OO; tail, 4'00; bill, 2*90; tarsus, 325. 
DESCRIPTION OE NESTS AND EGGS. 
Nests, placed in trees or bushes, composed of sticks loosely arranged. Eyys, from two to four in number, varying from 
elliptical to oval in form, yellowish-green in color, unspotted. Dimensions from P40x 1*90 to l‘50x2 , 00. 
HABITS. 
The Yellow-crowned Night Herons do not appear to be common birds anywhere, and 
although they occur sparingly throughout Florida, I found them more numerous at Miami 
than elsewhere, and obtained their eggs from the Everglades, early in April. This species 
is not nearly as nocturnal in habit, as the preceding, and although I have seen them fly¬ 
ing at night, I have also observed them wading about the roots of the overhanging man¬ 
groves, in search of fish, during daylight. When their hunger is appeased, they sit on the 
low limbs of the trees which project over the water. They are extremely shy birds and 
are quite difficult to kill, then when slightly wounded, run with great speed among the tan¬ 
gled roots of the mangroves, always making for the densest thickets, so that it is quite dif¬ 
ficult to procure specimens. The cry of the Yellow-crowned Night Herons is loud but 
differs from that of the common Night Heron, and they are not as noisy. These birds mi¬ 
grate northward, as far as the Carolinas, in summer, and stragglers have even been taken 
in Massachusetts. 
