102 THE BIRDS OF ION A AND MULL. 



sitting posture ; on my nearer approach his neck was also slowly 

 lowered down, till it lay along the seaweed. As it was a low, 

 hollow rock on which he lay, he thus rendered himself almost 

 invisible, and would certainly never have been noticed by any 

 one who had not kept his eye steadily fixed on the place. When, 

 however, I came quite close up to him and he saw that he had 

 not escaped detection, he sprang up and made a successful effort 

 to fly off. 



A Heron may be eaten cold when it has been sufficiently kept. 

 Though it is not so good as many other sea fowl, I do not see why 

 we should be more fastidious than our forefathers, who considered 

 it " a dainty enough dish to set before a king." 



The larger Gulls take a special delight in tormenting their 

 sedate grey friend whenever they catch him soberly traversing 

 the air, going or returning from his feeding ground. The Gulls 

 with hoarse cries make repeated swoops, which, frightening the 

 poor Heron out of his propriety, makes him quickly change the 

 dignified measured flappings of his great wings for a series of 



uncouth somersaults through the 

 air, by which he tries to escape 

 their rude attack, at the same 

 time furiously uttering his 

 harsh screams, by which 

 (could we understand the 

 bird language) he pro- 

 bably threatens his 

 assailants with " police pro- 

 secution and all the terrors of 





