and not a Heron of any kind did I see or hear of in Newfoundland or
Labrador. Westward, I believe, it reaches to the very bases of the Rocky
Mountains. It is a hardy bird, and bears the extremes of temperature
surprisingly, being in its tribe what the Passenger Pigeon is in the family
of Doves. During the coldest part of winter the Blue Heron is observed
in the State of Massachusetts and in Maine, spending its time in search
of prey about the warm springs and ponds which occur there in certain
districts. They are not rare in the Middle States, but more plentiful to
the west and south of Pennsylvania, which perhaps arises from the incessant
war waged against them.
Extremely suspicious and shy, this bird is ever on the look-out. Its
sight is as acute as that of any falcon, and it can hear at a considerable
distance, so that it is enabled to mark with precision the different objects
it sees, and to judge with accuracy of the sounds which it hears. Unless
under very favourable circumstances, it is almost hopeless to attempt to
approach it. You may now and then surprise one feeding under the
bank of a deep creek or bayou, or obtain a shot as he passes unawares
over you on wing; but to walk up towards one would be a fruitless adventure.
I have seen many so wary, that, on seeing a man at any distance
within half a mile, they would take to wing; and the report of a gun
forces one off his grounds from a distance at which you would think he
could not be alarmed. When in close woods, however, and perched on
a tree, they can be approached with a good chance of success.
The Blue Heron feeds at all hours of the day, as well as in the dark
and dawn, and even under night, when the weather is clear, his appetite
alone determining his actions in this respect; but I am certain that when
disturbed during dark nights it feels bewildered, and alights as soon as
possible. When passing from one part of the country to another at a distance,
the case is different, and on such occasions they fly under night at
a considerable height above the trees, continuing their movements in a
regular manner.
The commencement of the breeding season varies, according to the
latitude, from the beginning of March to the middle of June. In the Floridas
it takes place about the first of these periods, in the Middle Districts
about the 15th of May, and in Maine a month later. It is at the
approach of this period only that these birds associate in pairs, they being
generally quite solitary at all other times; nay, excepting during the
breeding season, each individual seems to secure for itself a certain district
as a feeding ground, giving chase to every intruder of its own species.
At such times they also repose singly, for the most part roosting
on trees, although sometimes taking their station on the ground, in the
midst of a wide marsh, so that they may be secure from the approach of
man. This unsocial temper probably arises from the desire of securing
a certain abundance of food, of which each individual -in fact requires a
large quantity.
The manners of this Heron are exceedingly interesting at the approach
of the breeding season, when the males begin to look for partners. About
sunrise you see a number arrive and alight either on the margin of a broad
sand-bar or on a savannah. They come from different quarters, one after
another, for several hours; and when you see forty or fifty before you, it
is difficult for you to imagine that half the number could have resided
in the same district. Yet in the Floridas I have seen hundreds thus collected
in the course of a morning. They are now in their full beauty,
and no young birds seem to be among them. The males walk about with
an air of great dignity, bidding defiance to their rivals, and the females
croak to invite the males to pay their addresses to them. The females
utter their coaxing notes all at once, and as each male evinces an equal
desire to please the object of his affection, he has to encounter the enmity
of many an adversary, who, with little attention to politeness, opens his
powerful bill, throws out his wings, and rushes with fury on his foe.
Each attack is carefully guarded against, blows are exchanged for blows;
one would think that a single well-aimed thrust might suffice to inflict
death, but the strokes are parried with as much art as an expert swordsman
would employ; and, although I have watched these birds for half
an hour at a time as they fought on the ground, I never saw one killed
on such an occasion ; but I have often seen one felled and trampled upon,
even after incubation had commenced. These combats over, the males
and females leave the place in pairs. They are now mated for the season,
at least I am inclined to think so, as I never saw them assemble
twice on the same ground, and they become comparatively peaceable after
pairing.
It is by no means a constant practice with this species to breed in
communities, whether large or small; for although I have seen many
such associations, I have also found many pairs breeding apart. Nor do
they at all times make choice of the trees placed in the interior of a swamp,
for I have found heronries in the pine-barrens of the Floridas, more than