ii 4 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



havoc with a fishery by eating the fish-spawn, but 

 tame ducks are infinitely more destructive in this 

 respect, and should be discouraged on any streams 

 where it is desired to preserve the fish ; they may 

 be reckoned amongst the worst enemies to fish- 

 ing. Much the same may also be said regarding 

 herons, where these birds are numerous, as in the 

 case of a heronry situated within easy reach of a 

 river, but only when their numbers are excessive. 

 In all other cases they should be spared. There 

 are no fewer than three heronries whose occupants 

 are within visiting distance of our river, and very 

 grievous is the damage which the trout sustain 

 from their society when the season is dry and 

 the water low. It is extraordinary what large 

 fish they are capable of extracting. I have known 

 several instances in which trout considerably 

 exceeding a pound in weight have fallen victims 

 to the unerring stroke of their powerful beaks. 



Of all our British birds, the peewit may be 

 reckoned as the farmer's best friend, and, strange 

 to say, farmers are, as a rule, well aware of the 

 fact. It is much to be regretted that there are so 

 many people who are able to esteem plovers' eggs 

 a delicacy. Their appearance, when served in 

 the shells and garnished with fresh green moss, 

 is certainly very tempting, for the egg is very 

 beautifully marked. It seems positively sinful 

 that the sale of plovers' eggs should be so 

 extensively carried on, and especially so when 

 the beauty and utility of the birds are taken into 



