POINT SHOOTING. 4OI 



neighborhood ; and second to give its prey, which may 

 have been frightened by the shadow of its passing body, 

 time to recover from this alarm. 



After a period of stillness which may last five or six 

 minutes, but seems to the watcher much longer, the 

 heron, still holding its neck straight and stiff and its 

 bill pointed somewhat upward, takes a cautious step and 

 then stands still for a moment. Then, seemingly re- 

 assured, it moves on with slow, careful steps, its head 

 turned a little on one side, evidently searching the water 

 for its food. It does not take the conventional heron 

 attitude until it sees some little fish that is within reach. 

 Then very slowly it draws in its neck and darts out its 

 strong, keen bill, and usually captures its prey; not 

 always, however, for I have several times seen one miss 

 his stroke. 



These are big birds, and birds, too, that one seldom 

 has an opportunity to kill, yet it always seems to me a 

 pity to shoot at them. They can be eaten, to be sure ; 

 yet no one who has ducks and geese to eat would be 

 likely to prefer heron. Unless the gunner has some 

 use for it, it does not, to me, seem worth while to kill 

 any bird. Life is something so mysterious that it 

 should not be lightly destroyed, and I have no sympathy 

 with the wantonaess which leads many shooters to try 

 their guns on every robin, swallow, nighthawk or bat 

 that may fly near to them. This is commonly done 

 "for fun," or to see "whether I can hit it ;" but it is all 

 wrong. 



Besides the birds of all sorts of which I have spoken, 



