A CHEAT BLUE HEROX. 203 



allowing men to chase him along the beach 

 at a distance of five or six yards. And it 

 is to be added that, in the present instance, 

 my companion had a gun in his hand. 



Possibly all these birds would have be- 

 haved differently another day, even in what 

 to us might have seemed exactly the same 

 circumstances. Undoubtedly, too, it is eas- 

 ier, as an almost universal rule, to approach 

 one or two birds than a considerable flock. 

 In the larger body there are almost certain 

 to be a few timorous souls, a few wider- 

 awake and better instructed souls, let us 

 rather say, who by their outcries and hasty 

 flight will awaken all the others to a sense 

 of possible danger. But it is none the less 

 true, as I said to begin with, that individual 

 birds have individual ways. And my great 

 blue heron, I am persuaded, was a "charac- 

 ter." It would be worth something to know 

 what was passing behind those big yellow 

 eyes as he twisted his neck to look once 

 more at the curious fellow curious in two 

 senses who was keeping after him so 

 closely. Was the heron curious, as well as 

 his pursuer? Or was he only a little set in 

 his own way; a little resentful of being im- 



