46 WADING BIRDS. 



for five days in succession, with various success, and loss of 

 life on both sides, when, I believe, they at length came to 

 the sage conclusion that their betters had at times acceded 

 to, after an equally fruitless contest; namely, to leave things 

 statu quo ante helium. 



The European Heron appears to give a preference to 

 fresh-water fish, and for the purpose of taking his prey, 

 gently wades into the water where they abound, and stand- 

 ing on one leg up to the knee, with his head drawn in, re- 

 clined upon his breast, he quietly watches the approach of 

 his prey. It has been remarked by many, that the fish gen- 

 erally swarm around them, so as to afford an ample supply 

 without much exertion ; and Bechstein remarks, after re- 

 peated observations, that the source of this attraction to the 

 Heron is merely the excrement of the bird, which the fish, 

 according to experiment, devour with avidity. Their time 

 of fishing, like that of our own species, is usually before or 

 after sunset. Though there is no ground for believing that 

 the Heron acquires a macilent constitution by privation, it is 

 certain, that in Europe, from a scarcity of food, it becomes' 

 extremely lean. They are known frequently to feed by 

 moonlight, at which time they become tolerably fat, being 

 then unmolested, and it is observed that the fish at this time 

 come into the shoaler waters. 



The Great Heron is about 4 feet 4 inches long ; the alar extent 6 

 feet. The forehead and middle of the crown white, passing over the 

 eye ; sides of the crown and hindhead, bluish black and crested, the 

 2 long tapering black feathers being 6 inches long. Chin, cheeks, 

 and sides of the head, white, for several inches; throat white, thickly 

 streaked with double rows of black stripes ; the rest of the neck 

 brownish ash, from the lower part of which proceed a great num- 

 ber of long, narroAV, pointed white feathers, that spread over the 

 breast, and extend nearly to the thighs ; under these long plumes, 

 the breast and middle of the belly, are deep blackish slate, the latter 

 streaked with white. Sides blue ash; vent white. Thighs and 



