. Ornithology and oy of New England: containing full descriptions of the birds of New England, and adjoining states and provinces .. . hose smallcrabs usually called fiddlers, mud-worms, snails, frogs, and also feeds on the seeds of somespecies of nymphae, and of severalother aquatic plants. On the 19 th of May, I visitedan extensive breeding-place of theSnowy Heron, among the red ce-dars of Summers Beach, on thecoast of Cape May. The situationwas very sequestered, bounded onthe land side by a fresh-watermarsh or pond, and sheltered fromthe Atlantic by ranges of sand-hills. The ceda
. Ornithology and oy of New England: containing full descriptions of the birds of New England, and adjoining states and provinces .. . hose smallcrabs usually called fiddlers, mud-worms, snails, frogs, and also feeds on the seeds of somespecies of nymphae, and of severalother aquatic plants. On the 19 th of May, I visitedan extensive breeding-place of theSnowy Heron, among the red ce-dars of Summers Beach, on thecoast of Cape May. The situationwas very sequestered, bounded onthe land side by a fresh-watermarsh or pond, and sheltered fromthe Atlantic by ranges of sand-hills. The cedars, though not high,were so closely crowded together as to render it difficult to pene-trate through among them. Some trees contained three, othersfour nests, built wholly of sticks. Each had in it three eggs of apale greenish-blue color, and measuring an inch and three-quartersin length by an inch and a quarter in thickness. Forty or fifty ofthese eggs were cooked, and found to be well tasted: the whitewas of a bluish tint, and almost transparent, though boiled for aconsiderable time ; the yolk very small in quantity. The birds. 400 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. rose in vast numbers, but without clamor, alighting on the tops ofthe trees around, and watching the result in silent anxiety. Amongthem were numbers of the Night Heron, and two or three Purple-headed Herons. Great quantities of egg-shells lay scattered underthe trees, occasioned by the depredations of the Crows, who werecontinually hovering about the place. On one of the nests I foundthe dead body of the bird itself, half devoured by the Hawks,Crows, or Gulls. She had probably perished in defence of hereggs. The Snowy Heron is seen at all times during summer amongthe salt marshes, watching and searching for food, or passing, some-times in flocks, from one part of the bay to the other. They oftenmake excursions up the rivers and inlets, but return regularly inthe evening to the red cedars on the beach to roost. ARDEA,
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