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 Mar., 1908 SOME NOTES ON THE' GREAT BLUE HERON 81 stantly walking about the colony, occasionally walking about in the water as one photo shows. It is interesting to imagine how such apparently restless birds could ever stay within the limits of a nest in the top of a tall tree. One very interesting feature of the young birds were the differences in the sizes of one brood. In one nest there were four you-ng, the smallest about the size of a quail, while the largest would have outweighed a Canvasback. In some nests a dead bird could be seen beneath the feet of its brothers, and many nests were seen with only two half-grown birds in it and with the rotting remains of the other two birds beside the nest. After collecting several sets of eggs we left the heronry and took our long tire- some row back home, swearing to come "via launch" next time. But on May 12th we again visited the. colony by rowing out, and found everything much the same as it was a month before. Young in all stages of growth were present, also fresh eggs. THE NOISY AND COMBATIVE STAGE Allowing three weeks for eggs to fiatch, and four, tho five is probably more correct, for the birds to be reared, our observations tend to show that the colony was in active operation from March 1st to July 1st. Several Japanese oyster men were seen on our second trip and they told us that no one ever went near the colony. It is thus evident that the herons have now an isolated and safe place to rear their young, and also are in the center of their fishing ground which is quite an item considering that at their old colony food had to be carried six or seven miles to their young. The eggs are of the usual pale greenish blue color, and sets number 2, 3 and 4, with three and four about equal in occurrence. The eggs vary somewhat in size from a short fat variety to a long sharply pointed size. The average of 8 sets at hand is 2.48 x 1.80 inches. This shows them to be .30 inches wider than most zoological works give them to be. Stanford bSziversity, California.