. Birds of other lands, reptiles, fishes, jointed animals and lower forms;. Zoology; Birds; Reptiles; Fishes. ^ORKS, HERONS, AND PELICAN TRIBE 57 In^ Hungary large numbers of herons and egrets breed together in the marshes, egrets and night-herons breeding together with the common and purple herons. Landbeck, an enthusiastic ornithologist, writes of such heronries: "The clamour in these breeding-places is so tremendous and singular in its character as almost to def)' description; it must be heard before a person can form any idea of what it is like. At a distance these hideous noises blen
. Birds of other lands, reptiles, fishes, jointed animals and lower forms;. Zoology; Birds; Reptiles; Fishes. ^ORKS, HERONS, AND PELICAN TRIBE 57 In^ Hungary large numbers of herons and egrets breed together in the marshes, egrets and night-herons breeding together with the common and purple herons. Landbeck, an enthusiastic ornithologist, writes of such heronries: "The clamour in these breeding-places is so tremendous and singular in its character as almost to def)' description; it must be heard before a person can form any idea of what it is like. At a distance these hideous noises blend with a confused roar, so as in some way to resemble the hubbub caused by a party of drunken Hungarian peas- ants; and it is only on a "^ "^ - \ nearer approach the separate notes of the two species, the common and the night-heron, can be distinguishedânamely, 'craik' and 'quack,' to which the notes of the young, "zek- zek-zek," ... in diiTerent keys, serve as an accompani- ; The tops of the highest trees are usually occupied bv the nests of the common heron. A little lower down we find the egret; and on the lowest branches the heron. The These are birds of a re- markable type of coloration, adapted to aid their skulking habits. Thecolorationpartakes so completel}' of the nature of the undergrowth among which they dwell, that, aided by certain peculiar habits de- scribed below, they succeed in harmonising so perfectly with their surroundings as to render themselves invisible to their enemies. The best-known species in Britain is the COMMOX BIT- TERN, though this epithet no longer applicable, for at the present time it is but an occa- sional visitant there. Once it was plentiful enough, as the frequent references both in prose and poetr}' bear witness. These references ha\-e been inspired mainly b\- its very peculiar note, made apparently only during the breeding-season. This sound is \-ariousl)' described as " booming," "
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecad, booksubjectfishes, booksubjectzoology
