Part 82

I was often surprised to see that while a flock was resting by day in the position just described, one or more stood with outstretched necks, keenly eyeing all around, now and then suddenly starting at the sight of a Porpoise or Shark in chase of some fish. The appearance of a man or a boat, seemed to distract them; and yet I was told that nobody ever goes in pursuit of them. If surprised, they leave their perch with a rough croaking sound, and fly directly to a great distance, but never inland.

The flight of the Great White Heron is firm, regular, and greatly protracted. They propel themselves by regular slow flaps, the head being drawn in after they have proceeded a few yards, and their legs extended behind, as is the case with all other Herons. They also now and then rise high in the air, where they sail in wide circles, and they never alight without performing this circling flight, unless when going to feeding grounds on which other individuals have already settled. It is truly surprising that a bird of so powerful a flight never visits Georgia or the Carolinas, nor goes to the Mainland. When you see them about the middle of the day on their feeding grounds they “loom” to about double their size, and present a singular appearance. It is difficult to kill them unless with buck-shot, which we found ourselves obliged to use.

When I left Key West, on our return towards Charleston, I took with me two young birds that had been consigned to the care of my friend Dr B. STROBEL, who assured me that they devoured more than their weight of food per day. I had also two young birds of the Ardea Herodias alive. After bringing them on board, I placed them all together in a very large coop; but was soon obliged to separate the two species, for the white birds would not be reconciled to the blue, which they would have killed. While the former had the privilege of the deck for a few minutes, they struck at the smaller species, such as the young of Ardea rufescens and A. Ludoviciana, some of which they instantly killed and swallowed entire, although they were abundantly fed on the flesh of green Turtles. None of the sailors succeeded in making friends with them.

On reaching Indian Key, I found those which had been left with Mrs EGAN, in excellent health and much increased in size, but to my surprise observed that their bills were much broken, which she assured me had been caused by the great force with which they struck at the fishes thrown to them on the rocks of their enclosure,—a statement which I found confirmed by my own observation in the course of the day. It was almost as difficult to catch them in the yard, as if they had never seen a man before, and we were obliged to tie their bills fast, to avoid being wounded by them while carrying them on board. They thrived well, and never manifested the least animosity towards each other. One of them which accidentally walked before the coop in which the Blue Herons were, thrust its bill between the bars, and transfixed the head of one of these birds, so that it was instantaneously killed.

When we arrived at Charleston, four of them were still alive. They were taken to my friend JOHN BACHMAN, who was glad to see them. He kept a pair, and offered the other to our mutual friend Dr SAMUEL WILSON, who accepted them, but soon afterwards gave them to Dr GIBBES of Columbia College, merely because they had killed a number of Ducks. My friend BACHMAN kept two of these birds for many months; but it was difficult for him to procure fish enough for them, as they swallowed a bucketful of mullets in a few minutes, each devouring about a gallon of these fishes. They betook themselves to roosting in a beautiful arbour in his garden; where at night they looked with their pure white plumage like beings of another world. It is a curious fact, that the points of their bills, of which an inch at least had been broken, grew again, and were as regularly shaped at the end of six months as if nothing had happened to them. In the evening or early in the morning, they would frequently set, like pointer dogs, at moths which hovered over the flowers, and with a well-directed stroke of their bill seize the fluttering insect and instantly swallow it. On many occasions, they also struck at chickens, grown fowls and ducks, which they would tear up and devour. Once a cat which was asleep in the sunshine, on the wooden steps of the viranda, was pinned through the body to the boards, and killed by one of them. At last they began to pursue the younger children of my worthy friend, who therefore ordered them to be killed. One of them was beautifully mounted by my assistant Mr HENRY WARD, and is now in the Museum of Charleston. Dr GIBBES was obliged to treat his in the same manner; and I afterwards saw one of them in his collection. Of the fifteen skins of this species which I carried to Philadelphia, one was presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences of that beautiful city, another was given in exchange for various skins, and two I believe are now in the possession of GEORGE COOPER, Esq. of New York. Two were sent along with other specimens to Mr SELBY of Twizel House, Northumberland. On my arrival in England, I presented a pair to His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, who gave them to the British Museum, where I have since seen them mounted. I also presented a specimen to the Zoological Society of London.

Mr EGAN kept for about a year one of these birds, which he raised from the nest, and which, when well grown, was allowed to ramble along the shores of Indian Key in quest of food. One of the wings had been cut, and the bird was known to all the resident inhabitants, but was at last shot by some Indian Hunter, who had gone there to dispose of a collection of sea shells.

Some of the Herons feed on the berries of certain trees during the latter part of autumn and the beginning of winter. Dr B. B. STROBEL observed the Night Heron eating those of the “Gobolimbo,” late in September at Key West.

Among the varied and contradictory descriptions of Herons, you will find it alleged that these birds seize fish while on wing by plunging the head and neck into the water; but this seems to me extremely doubtful. Nor, I believe, do they watch for their prey while perched on trees. Another opinion is, that Herons are always thin, and unfit for food. This, however, is by no means generally the case in America, and I have thought these birds very good eating when not too old.

GREAT WHITE HERON, ARDEA OCCIDENTALIS.

Adult Male. Plate CCLXXXI.

Bill much longer than the head, straight, compressed, tapering to a point, the mandibles nearly equal, but the point of the upper considerably extended beyond that of the lower. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, the ridge broadly convex at the base, convex and narrowed towards the end, a groove from the base to near the tip, beneath which the sides are convex, the edges extremely thin and sharp, towards the end broken into irregular serratures, the tip acute. Lower mandible with the angle extremely narrow and elongated, the dorsal line beyond it ascending and slightly curved, the ridge convex, the sides ascending and slightly concave, the edges as in the upper, the tip acuminate. Nostrils basal, linear-oblong, longitudinal, with a membrane above and behind.

Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Neck extremely long, slender. Body slender and compressed; wings large. Feet very long; tibia elongated, its lower half bare, very slender, covered all round with large elongated hexagonal scales; tarsus long, thicker than the lower part of the tibia, compressed, covered anteriorly with large scutella, excepting at the two extremities where there are large angular scales. Toes of moderate length, rather slender, scutellate above, flattened, and reticularly granulate beneath, the thick margins covered with small scales, the sides with larger; the third and fourth toes connected at the base by a reticulated web; the third toe much longer than the fourth, which is considerably longer than the second, the first about half the length of the third; claws of moderate size, strong, compressed, curved, obtuse, the first largest, the third next in size, and with an inner regularly pectinated edge, all more or less convex beneath.

Space between the bill and eye, and around the latter, as well as at the angle of the mouth bare, as is the lower half of the tibia. Plumage soft, the edges of the feathers loose and blended. Feathers of the upper part of the head and hind neck elongated and tapering; of the back long and loose, of the rump soft and downy; scapulars very long, rather compact, the upper loose. Feathers of the fore neck elongated, of the sides of the breast anteriorly very long, loose and tapering; of the rest of the lower parts broader but pointed; of the tibia shortish. Wings large, rounded; primaries curved, strong, broad, tapering, the three first slightly sinuate on the inner web; third quill longest, fourth scarcely shorter, third almost as long as fourth, first a quarter of an inch shorter; secondaries very large, broad and rounded, the inner extending as far as the longest primary when the wing is closed. Tail short, slightly rounded, of twelve broad, rounded feathers.

Bill yellow, the upper mandible dusky green at its base; loral space yellowish-green; orbital space light blue. Iris bright yellow. Tibia and hind part of tarsus yellow; fore part of tibia and toes olivaceous, sides of the latter greenish-yellow; claws light brown. The whole of the plumage is pure white.

Length to end of tail 54 inches, to end of wings 54, to end of claws 70; extent of wings 83; wing from flexure 19; tail 7; bill along the back 6-3/4, along the edges 8-3/4; bare part of tibia 6; tarsus 8-1/2; middle toe 4-10/12, its claw 10/12. Weight 9-1/2 lb.

The Female is smaller, but similar to the male. The dimensions of an individual were as follows.

Length to end of tail 50, to end of wings 50, to end of claws 65; extent of wings 75; wing from flexure 18-3/4; tail 6-3/4; bill along the back 5-10/12, along the edges 7-3/4, its depth at base 1-5/12; tarsus 7-1/2; middle toe 4-1/4, its claw 9/12. Weight 7-1/4 lb.

The Young are at first covered with white down, and when fledged are of the same colour. An individual just able to fly was of the following dimensions.

Length to end of tail 43-1/2, to end of claws 56; wing from flexure 18; bill 5-4/12; along the edge 7-1/4; tarsus 6-1/2; middle toe 4-1/4, its claw 3/4. The serrature of the middle claw is distinct at this age.

In this species, the skin is uncommonly tender, and of a yellow colour.

THE WHITE-WINGED SILVERY GULL.

LARUS LEUCOPTERUS, FABER.

PLATE CCLXXXII. ADULT MALE, AND YOUNG.

I have not met with this species farther south than the Bay of New York. During the winter it is not rare about Boston and farther eastward. At the approach of summer, before the pairing of the Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, the White-winged Gulls collect in flocks, and set out for the distant north, where they breed.

The flight of this species so much resembles that of the Herring Gull, that were it not for its smaller size, and the different colour of its wings, it could not be distinguished from the other. It is less shy, however, proceeds farther up the rivers and salt-water creeks, and alights oftener on the water as well as on the salt-meadows, than that species. While at Portland in Maine, I observed a good number of these Gulls flying over the inner harbour close to the shores, descending towards the water, and picking up garbage in the manner of the Herring Gulls, with which they associated. Their notes were not so loud, nor so often heard.

I was surprised to find but very few on the coast of Labrador, and these did not seem to be breeding, for although we carefully watched them, we did not succeed in finding any nests.

LARUS LEUCOPTERUS, Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 361.

LARUS LEUCOPTERUS, WHITE-WINGED SILVERY GULL, Swains. and Richards. Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 418.