THIRD WEEK IN: APRIL 33 
approach. I have only on two or three occa- 
sions succeeded in getting to within fifty yards 
of one, though I have often stalked them in 
this country, as well as in France and Canada. 
The nest of the heron is a rude structure (see 
Plates III and IV) fora bird’s nest. It is merely 
a large platform-lke collection of sticks with- 
out any attempt at a regular shape, and 
unlike the rook’s or the carrion crow’s (see 
Part II, pp. 69-73) it is much broader than 
it is deep. It resembles in plan of construc- 
tion the nest of the pigeon (see Part II, p. 59). 
It is about three or four feet wide, and one foot 
to eighteen inches in depth, almost flat at the 
top, with a few pieces of dried grass or wool 
to receive the eggs. The nests are commenced 
in March, the first batch of young being 
Heccned by the end ‘ol-Aprm: The “second 
Deaod are ‘ready “to ily ‘before the end of 
August, when the old birds commence to 
leave the heronry, the general exodus taking 
place at the first touch of frost. But a few 
rerurn all’ through’ the ‘year ‘the’ ‘keeper 
told us. The young are fed by the parents 
[5 he ae 8 D 
