A GREAT BLUE HERON. 199 
suspicious and shy,” says Audubon. “Un- 
less under very favorable circumstances, it 
is almost hopeless to attempt to approach it. 
To walk up towards one would be a fruitless 
adventure.” Dr. Brewer’s language is to 
the same effect, — “At all times very vigi- 
lant and difficult of approach.” 
This, then, was the bird which I now had 
under my field-glass, as I lay at full length 
behind the friendly bayberry bushes. Up 
to this point, for aught that appeared, he 
was quite unaware of my espionage. Like 
all the members of his family that I have 
ever seen, he possessed so much patience that 
it required much patience to watch him. 
For minutes together he stood perfectly still, 
and his movements, as a rule, were either so 
slow as to be all but imperceptible, or so 
rapid as almost to elude the eye. Boys who 
have killed frogs— which was pretty cer- 
tainly my heron’s present employment — 
will need no explanation of his behavior. 
They know very well that, if the fatal club 
is to do its work, the slowest kind of prelim- 
inary motion must be followed by something 
like a flash of lightning. 
I watched the bird for perhaps half an 
