. . g, hair-likefeathers, a hke plume on the lower neck, and the same onthe back, which are recurved when perfect. Snowy herons nest in colonies, preferring willow bushesin the marshes for this purpose. The nest is made in thelatter part of April or early June. Along the Gulf Coastof Florida they nest on the INIangrove Islands, and in theinterior in the willow ponds and swamj^s, in company withthe Louisiana and Little Blue herons. The nest is simply aplatform of sticks, and from two to five eggs are laid. Alas! plume hunters have wro
. . g, hair-likefeathers, a hke plume on the lower neck, and the same onthe back, which are recurved when perfect. Snowy herons nest in colonies, preferring willow bushesin the marshes for this purpose. The nest is made in thelatter part of April or early June. Along the Gulf Coastof Florida they nest on the INIangrove Islands, and in theinterior in the willow ponds and swamj^s, in company withthe Louisiana and Little Blue herons. The nest is simply aplatform of sticks, and from two to five eggs are laid. Alas! plume hunters have wrought such destruction tothese lovely birds that very few are now found in the oldnesting-places. They will soon become extinct unless thebarbarous practice of wearing feathers be stopped. The little egret moves through the air with a noble andrapid flight. It is curious to see it pass directly head, body, and legs are held in line, stiff and immov-able, and the gently waving wings carry the bird along witha rapidity that seems the effect of WADING BIRDS 99 LITTLE BLUE HERON The Little Blue Heron is found from New York, Illi-nois, and Kansas southward through Mexico and CentralAmerica to South America and the West Indies. It is ofaccidental occurrence as far north as Maine and Wisconsin. The name little blue is somewhat misleading, as adultbirds are a maroon color on the head and neck; the rest ofthe plumage is grayish or slaty. Immature birds are purewhite, with the exception of a faint grayish tinge near thetips of the wings. The young, therefore, look very muchlike the sno^\y egret. These birds often breed in company with snowj^ andLouisiana heron. Their eggs, like those of all other herons,are light blue, unspotted. The nests are mere platformsof sticks. The writer has four eggs taken from a nestplaced eight feet above the water, in a willow where yellow-crowned night herons were nesting in company with thelittle blue herons, in one of the Georgia swamps
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