230 THE HERON AND HERONRIES 
especially if the gullet contained food. To me, without this 
wonderful arrangement it would be impossible for the bird to 
bend its neck at all after swallowing a large eel or several large 
objects; but owing to this curious arrangement it will be seen that 
the Heron may bend its neck, after taking food, as much as it 
chooses, and yet at the same time the course of the gullet 
remains practically straight, from the anterior extremity to its 
entrance to the body. ‘The trachea, from its more inflexible 
nature, becomes very much bent, but follows nearly the same 
course as the vertebre. It is almost impossible to describe this 
wonderful piece of mechanism in words, but a careful study of 
the figures—or better still, of actual specimens—will make the 
matter quite clear. 
My best thanks are due to Mr. Farrimonp for kindly 
reducing the illustrations by photography, which were originally 
drawn natural size. 
CASTINGS. 
After the food is digested, the indigestible parts are cast up 
in the form of “ pellets.” On examining some pellets which I 
found in the Eaton Heronry, not the slightest trace of a bone 
of any kind could be found, which is very strange, as they 
consisted almost entirely of rat’s fur. Query—Do the Herons 
digest the bones as well as the flesh? If they do not, then how 
is it possible for them to separate the fur from the bones? All 
our birds of prey cast up the indigested portions of their food, 
but bones, fur, and feathers, &c., are cast up together; they are 
not separated ! 
PRESERVATION. 
In the nineteenth year of the reign of Henry VII., 1504, 
it was enacted, that “‘no person without his own ground shall 
slay, or take by craft or engine, any herons, except with hawking 
or long-bow, on pain of forfeiture for every heron, 6s. 8d.; and 
no person without his own ground shall take any young herons 
out of the nest, without license of the owner of the ground, on 
pain of forfeiture for every heron, ros.” (19th Hen VII.,c. 2,s. 1.) 
Still further, it was enacted that ‘‘ from first of March to the last 
of June yearly, no person without license of the owner of the 
ground shall kill a heron, on pain of forfeiture for every 
heron, ros.” (19th Hen. VII., c. 2,s.1.) And in the twenty-fifth 
year of the reign of Henry VIII, 1534, “ from first of March to 
the last of June yearly, no person shall withdraw, take, destroy, 
or convey any eggs or wild fowl from or in any nest where they 
are laid, on pain of imprisonment for one year, to forfeit for 
every egg of any Crane or Bustard, 2od.; and for every egg of 
Bittern, Heron, or Shovelard, 8d. ; and for every egg of Mallard, 
Teal, or other wild-fowl, 1d.” (25th Hen. VIII., c. 2.,s. 5.) And 
in the twenty-ninth year of his reign (1538), this King likewise 
gave the first Charter to the Artillery Company, by which they 
are permitted to wear dresses of any colour except purple and 
