X 



THE HERON 



Ardea cinerea. 



HIS handsome and striking 

 bird may be regarded as an 

 apt example of the vicissi- 

 tudes connected with popu- 

 larity. Time was when in 

 merry England the Heron 

 was royal game, a prized 

 and well cared -for bird ; the 

 sport it afforded in falconrv 

 was esteemed by knights 

 and ladies ; it was honoured 

 equally at the table with the 

 swan and the peacock, and 

 protected by stringent laws 

 and heavy penalties. Times 

 and customs are, however, 

 perpetually, changing, and 

 the Heron now, although 

 not actually rare, is at any 

 rate quite out of public 

 favour and interest, and may 

 be regarded as solitary, re- 

 tired, and uncared-for. 



The bird belongs to a 

 very numerous tribe, which is almost universally spread 



