72 ON THE MOORLANDS 
spot where he can be alone and watch. The 
heron loves his solitude, and knows also that 
it is only thus that he can hope to seize a 
darting fish, or snap a wriggling eel. Here 
are signs of his night’s revelry; for it is in 
the moon’s pale light that he can best pursue 
his prey. We had noticed from time to 
time upon the river bank several dead perch, 
and had wondered how and why they could 
have met their death: at last we came upon 
a jack of three pounds weight, lying, quite 
fresh, but dead, with another perch beside 
him,.- This -surely “was. the - biter “bit =a 
the victims had been treated just alike—dis- 
embowelled and the eyes gouged out. Atonce 
we thought wesaw thecause. That longsharp 
beak and those powerfully gripping claws had 
done the work. Strange these seeming in- 
congruities!. Does not the otter take his 
* We have since thought that carrion crows may have 
mutilated and partially eatcn these fish, but it is im- 
probable that such small birds could have held and 
pulled out of the water so powerful a fish as a jack ot 
three pounds weight. An otter had been seen there, but 
this was not this animal’s method of devouring its prey. 
