422 COMMON HERON. Class II. 



feet two inches ; the breadth five feet four inches. 

 The body is very fmall, and always lean ; and the 

 fkin fcarce thicker than what is called gold-beater's 

 fkirc. It mult be capable of bearing a long abfti- 

 nence, as its food, which is fifh and frogs, cannot 

 be readily got at all times. It commits great de- 

 valuation in our ponds •, but being unprovided 

 with webs to fvvim, nature has furnifned it with 

 very long legs to wade after its prey. It perches 

 and builds in trees, and fometimes in high cliffs over 

 the fea, commonly in company with many others, 

 like rooks. At Creffi Hall near Gojberton in Lin- 

 cohjhire I have counted above eighty nefts in one 

 tree. It makes its neft of (licks, lines it with 

 wool •, and lays five or fix large eggs of a pale 

 green color. During incubation, the male pafTes 

 much of its time perched by the female. They 

 defert their nefts during winter, excepting in Febru- 

 ary^ when they relbrt to repair them. It was for- 

 merly in this country a bird of game, heron-hawk- 

 ing being fo favourite a diverfion of our anceftors, 

 that laws were enacted for the prefervation of the 

 fpecies, and the perfon who destroyed their eggs 

 was liable to a penalty of twenty fliillings, for each 

 offence. Not to know the Hawk from the Heron- 

 Jhaw was an old proverb *, taken originally from 

 this diverfion ; but in courfe of time ferved to ex- 



* In after times this proverb was abfurdly corrupted to, 

 He does not know a hawk from a hand-faw, 



prefs 



