Frank the Heron 
It is true that you may often see half a 
dozen herons feeding in the same place. 
But they came there singly, and each 
one will leave by itself and go its own 
way, and they have only found them- 
selves together because the place happens 
to be a good one for food, and they all 
know of it. 
The mud-banks of a tidal river are 
favourite feeding -grounds, and it is 
curious to notice how they know exactly 
at what time each day the tide will leave 
them bare. If they all carried watches 
in their waistcoat pockets, they couldn’t 
hit off the time better. As soon as the 
first glimpse of mud begins to appear 
above the brown water racing out to 
sea so fast, all the shore-feeding birds, 
big and little, may be seen flying towards 
it ; the small fry, like dunlins, stints, and 
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