THE PURPLE HERON. 45 



Rough as the young are to one another, it is as nothing 

 compared with their united treatment of their mother. 

 As soon as ever her head was lowered within their reach, 

 preparatory to disgorging, they, with one impulse, seized 

 her by the bill. Sometimes four or five had hold together, 

 puUing and jerking in opposite directions, their eyes 

 almost starting from the sockets. Time after time she 

 gently shook them off, but directly her bill came within 

 reach again the young ruffians seized it and hung on. 

 Wilhng as she was, it was impossible to disgorge with three 

 or four of them holding the bill tightly shut. At last, 

 while some were struggling together in the nest, she 

 managed to get a little out, and, in the scramble for it 

 that ensued, a great deal more; and, lastly, with a great 

 gulp, a young jack pike (which subsequently was measured 

 to be eleven and a half inches) landed on the nest. This 

 proved too much even for a young Purple Heron. First 

 one tried it and then another, some managed to get it a good 

 third down, and sat with the rest of it pointing skywards 

 until, almost choking, they had to give it up, whereupon, 

 if not before, it was savagely seized by another. 



When all were tired of trying and the pike lay idle on 

 the nest, I thought that their mother would surely give 

 them a lesson in the art of swallowing, even if only for 

 her own gratification. But no, it was of no further 

 interest to her and it lay there day after day getting 

 " higher and higher " as with the incessant trampling of 

 the feet it got flatter. Several of these pressed and leaf- 

 like fishes were seen in other nests. 



It should here be noted that though the usual method 

 was to disgorge the food into the nest-bottom, the young 

 picking it up from there, they were at times also allowed 

 to take it from their parent's distended throat; this being 

 of necessity the method when feeding on the bush-tops. 



The way these birds, both young and old, travel over 

 the bushes is very interesting. As has been noted, the 

 parents alighted a long way from the nest and walked over 



