THE HERON AND ITS HAUNTS 101 



the place where one has sprung from, you will find 

 the depression where the frog squatted ; and if you 

 catch sight of him before he springs you will see that 

 his back is just on a level with the ground, and he is 

 completely hidden by a plant or tuft of grass. A 

 footstep will start him or make him move uneasily 

 and betray his whereabouts. 



Mice make their shallow runs and holes a few 

 inches deep in the same locality ; they are in first-rate 

 condition, plump and sleek ; you may see them run- 

 ning up the stems of different plants to get at the 

 seeds, and then follow them to their holes. Other 

 small things besides mice and frogs there are about 

 the field frequented by our heron, but his attention 

 is principally directed to these. Very few creatures 

 in a wild state, furred or feathered, that are in the 

 least carnivorous, can resist the temptation of making 

 a meal of a mouse, or including it in one, whenever 

 the chance offers. 



Jack Hern nests rook-fashion in the trees, where 

 these and the locality are suited to his taste. In some 

 parts which are treeless, he will make a virtue of ne- 

 cessity and nest in the fern or stunted cover on some 

 rock or island ; for a bird of many resources is the 

 common heron. 



