HEROES 



IIKKOI'HIM'S 



691 



the number of captives taken or killed by some 

 king. 



The editio nrinctpi is by Aldus ( 1502 ). The best critical 

 editions are those by Gaisford and Stein (Berlin, 1860). 

 The best Latin commentary is that of Haehr (Leip. 

 1806); the best German, Stein (ISerlin, 1877) ; the best 

 English. Kuwlinson (4 vols. 1808). The last contains a 

 transition. Another English translation is by O. C. 

 Maoaulay (2 vols. 1890). The appendices to Professor 

 Sayoe's edition of luniks i.-iii. aru valuable. 



Heroes were, iii the Homeric period, the kings, 

 princes, generals, lenders, nil brave warriors, and 

 men who excelled in strength, courage, wisdom, 

 ami experience. Many of these hod, on account of 

 such qualities, a fabled origin, half human, half 

 ilivine, and were honoured after their death with 

 a kind of adoration or inferior worship. These 

 heroes and demigods were recognised as the special 

 patrons or protectors of particular countries, cities, 

 or families, as the Pelopidne, Atridte, &c., and 

 temples and altars were raised to them. Poetry 

 exalted the heroic sentiment to sublimity ; and 

 poems which celebrate the deeds of heroes are 

 themselves termed heroic. The imaginary time 

 when heroes and other semi-divine beings lived on 

 earth was called the Heroic Age. 



Heroic Verse. See METRE. 



Herold, Louis JOSEPH FERDINAND, French 

 musical composer, was born at Paris on 28th 

 .Inn nary 1791, and studied at the conservatoire of 

 music in that city. His earliest successes were 

 achieved with Mdlle. de la Valliere( 1812), a cantata, 

 which gained him a travelling scholarship; the 

 opera, La Gioventu di Enrico Quinto (1815); and 

 the comic opera, Les Rosieres (1816). None of his 

 succeeding pieces met with success, until the opera 

 Marie appeared in 1826. Zampa ( 1831 ) and Le Pre 

 aux Clercs (1832), which followed next, were both 

 decidedly successful ; the former is still put on the 

 stage from time to time. Hdrold died on 19th 

 January 1833 at Themes near Paris. See Jouvin's 

 Harold, sa Vie et ses (Euvres ( 1868). 



Heron, a genus (Ardea) and family (Ardeidae) 

 of birds of the order Herodiones. The Herodiones 

 (which includes also the families of storks, spoon- 

 bills, and flamingoes) are large birds covered 

 with long loose down, with large wings, and a 

 hard horny bill longer than the head, compressed 

 from side to side, and united to the skull by firm 

 broad bones. The Ardeidae are distinguished 

 from the other families by their large hind-toe, 

 which rests on the ground and has a large claw 

 eipial in size to the claw of the middle toe, and 

 by the inner margin of the middle toe having 

 a pectinated or comb-like structure. The family 

 comprises five genera the Herons (Ardea), the 

 Night Herons (Nycticorax), the Bitterns (Botau- 

 rus), the Boatbills (Cancroma), and the Tiger- 

 bitterns (Tigri-sorna). In the Heron genus which 

 includes the species commonly known as Egrets 

 the plumage is U-.-mt it'ul, but seldom exhibits very 

 gay colours, white, brown, black, and slate, finely 

 blended, generally predominating. The body is 

 small in proportion to the length of the neck and the 

 limbs. The neck is usually curved. See the 

 article FLYING (with illustration) for the position 

 of the neck, wings, &c. in flight when the long 

 le^s are carried straight out, projecting like a 

 tail. Herons are very voracious, feeding mostly 

 on fish and other aquatic animals ; but they also 

 often prey on snakes, frogs, rats, and mice, and the 

 voting of other birds. They are usually shy, soli- 

 tary birds, going alioui singly, but at nesting-time 

 congregating in numbers, possibly more from com- 

 munity of purpose than from the true gregarious 

 instinct. The Common Heron (Ardea ctnerea) 

 measures about three feet from the point of the 



bill to the tip of the tail. It in of a delicate gray 

 colour on the upper part*, the quill-feather* are 

 black, the tail of a deep slate colour, and tin- long 

 plume is glossy dark. It generally builds it* ne*t 

 on a high tree; and aw many a* eighty newt* have 

 been counted on a single oak. Though in the days 



of falconry, when it wa* the chief ame pursued. It 



was highly pri/ed for the table, the common heron 

 is now the object of almost universal hostility. Ite 

 geographical distribution is wide, extending from 

 Britain to the countries of northern and MUM In -in 

 Europe, Ix-ing most plentiful in Holland, extending 

 into northern Africa, Caucasus, India, Japan, and 

 Java. The Purple Heron (A. inir/mrea) in a 

 .somewhat rare British species. The Great White 

 Heron or Great Egret (A. alba), an extremely 

 beautiful bird with perfectly white plumage, 

 much of it loose and flowing, is an accidental 



Common Heron (Ardea cinerea). 



visitor to Britain. It is more common in Turkey 

 and Greece and in some parts of Asia, where its 

 upper tail coverts are much worn as plumes. The 

 Little Egret (A garzetta), a smaller copy of the 

 great egret, and frequenting the same localities, is 

 about two feet long, and rather quicker in flight 

 than the larger species. The Bun- backed Heron 

 (A. aiquinoctialis) of southern Europe is an insect 

 feeder, and by no means so shy as other species. 

 America has many species of herons, most 

 numerous in its warmer parts. A common species 

 of the temperate parts is the Green Heron (.4. 

 virescens), whose flesh is much esteemed. Other 

 important species are the Great Blue Heron (A. 

 herodias), the Great White Or Florida Heron (A. 

 occidentalism, the Great White Egret (A. cgretta), 

 and the Little White Egret (A. candid issima). 

 The Peacock Heron (A. nelias) of South America, 

 a small heron of exquisitely graceful shape and 

 mien, with plumage variegated with coloured spots 

 and bars, is a favourite pet-bird of the Brazilians. 



Herondas. See HERODAS. 



HeropllilllS, one of the greatest physicians of 

 antiquity, and co-founder of the celebrated medical 

 school of Alexandria, was born at Chalcedon, in 

 Bithynia, ami flourished in the 4th and 3d centuries 

 B.C. He distinguished himself in particular by his 

 devotion to anatomy, especially of the brain and 

 those parts which were less known. He was a 

 skilful dissector, and is said to have even dissected 

 criminals alive ; moreover, he was a bold and dexter- 

 ous surgeon. The few fragments of his writings 

 which remain were published at Gottingen in 184ft 



