THE PALMIPEDES 



85 



in the tufts of rushes and in the soft mud to pull 

 out reptiles and worms? " 



"It is the heron," put in Emile, "that the fable 

 tells about when it says : 



"The long-necked, long-beaked heron went walking; 

 On its stilt-like legs one day it went stalking." 



"Yes," said Uncle Paul, "that is the bird. Ev- 

 erything about the heron is long legs, beak, neck. 

 The length of its legs 

 enables the bird to ex- 

 plore the swamp at its 

 ease all day long with- 

 out wetting a feather; 

 its length of neck is 

 needed that it may 

 reach the ground with- 

 out stooping; and the 

 long beak is indispen- 

 sable for burrowing in 

 the tall tufts of grass where the reptile lurks, and 

 for probing the mud where the worm buries itself." 



"I begin to see now," said Jules, "how the char- 

 acter of a bird may be judged from its shape. The 

 heron bears its trade stamped on its form." 



"The duck, in its turn, makes an equally unmis- 

 takable announcement. Let us forget its habits, 

 which are so familiar to us, and try to rediscover 

 them in the shape of the legs and beak. 



"The duck's beak is very wide and flat, and round 

 at the end. Shall we compare it with the hen's beak, 



Heron 



