LEVY, THE STORY OF AN EGRET 155 



Just outside the water lily leaves which fringed the 

 shore I dropped my hook baited with worms taken from the 

 lily stems. Several nice perch were soon drawn into the 

 boat. With these we strove to feed the youngster, but he 

 positively refused to take his food in the manner we served 

 it. He had been accustomed to put his beak between the 

 mandibles of his mother ^s bill and receive his food from 

 her throat. 



It was evident that he must be taught a ditf erent way of 

 eating. So he was caught by the head and his mouth 

 forced open. This rough treatment he resisted with all his 

 force, screaming and twisting his head in an effort to draw 

 it away. At the same time the nails of his toes scratched 

 seriously the bare hands that held him. A long finger 

 thrust sent the piece of iish well down his throat; then it 

 was quickly swallowed. 



After this performance was repeated a few times it 

 became necessary only to place the food in the bird's beak 

 to get him to swallow it. The second morning, unaided he 

 picked his food from the ground and, with a jerk or two of 

 his neck, sent each piece home in a twinkling. The number 

 and size of the fish which this young bird devoured was 

 something astonishing. Including beak, neck and tail he 

 measured little over a foot, and yet half a pound of fish 

 was for him but an ordinary lunch. 



