276 BRITISH. SEA) BIRDS: 
custom generally attaches to it. There are few 
places round the English coast known to me where 
the Heron forms such a distinctive feature in the 
scene as on the wide estuary of the Exe, or, but not 
so abundant, on that of the Teign, a little lower 
down the Devonshire coast. Sometimes a score or 
more Herons may be counted here together, 
standing like big blue sentinels on the marshes, 
wading in the tidal pools, or flying in their slow 
deliberate way, above the flats. Many of these 
Herons breed in the valley of the Dart. Odd 
Herons may also be flushed here and there along 
more rock-bound coasts. The flight of this species 
is very imposing, witnessed to perfection as the bird 
passes to or from its feeding or fishing grounds, and 
its nightly retreat in some distant wood; or 
perhaps, better still, when mobbed by some Gull, or 
mobbing one in return. The Heron feeds largely 
on fishes, either those from salt- or fresh-water, 
together with frogs, water insects, and even small 
mammals. The Heron fishing is a perfect picture 
of still life, an ornament to the shore. As a rule, 
the Heron is a remarkably silent bird; he fishes, 
like all good anglers, in absolute quietness; but 
when passing through the air, on his frequent 
journeys, he often utters a short, deep trumpet-like 
note, startling and strange-sounding enough when 
heard from the evening sky. 
The Heron breeds locally throughout the British 
Islands, its favourite nesting places being in woods 
