T H E H E R O N, Scc. 95 



mated being ; though fometimes half frozen and covered with icicles, 

 flies in the night, and is heard at all feafons. When flying ftiffens his 

 leers, lays his neck on his back, folded fo that below the bill feems to 

 grow out of the breaft; rifes very high, and flies fiat. In cold or fl:ormy 

 feafons, his prey is no longer within reach : the fiih now keep in the 

 deep, as the warmefl: fituation ; frogs and lizards alfo, of which he de- 

 vours many, abide clofely in their lurking-places ; and the heron 13 

 obliged to haverecourfe to patience, and to take up with water weeds. 



Often he hovers over fliallow places, v/here he darts on his prey with 

 certainty j for though the fifli at fight of its enemy infliantly defcends, 

 yet the heron, with his long bill and legs, pins it fecurely to the bottom, 

 then rifes on the wing, with a trout or an eel ftruggling in his bill : the 

 greedv bird, however, flies to the fliore, fcarce gives it time to expire, 

 but fwallows it whole, and then returns to fifliing as before. 



Neftles on the tops of the higheft trees in the forefi: or the grove, 

 fometimes on clifi^s hanging over the fea j where they love each other's 

 fociety, and build in company. The female lays four large eggs of a pale 

 green : their nefts are made of fl:icks, and lined with wool : often feize 

 one from the rook, the crow, or the owl, which they enlarge. Heron- 

 ries are not unfrequent in France, where the fiefli of the young is in 

 efrimation. It was formerly much efteemed in England, and a favourite 

 difh at great tables. It was even faid the flefii of a heron was a difli for 

 a king; at prefent, nothing about the houfe will touch it but a cat. 



The young are numerous, voracious, and imporrunate ; the old ones 

 ever on the wing to provide for them. Is very long-lived, exceeding 

 fixty years, but by how m.uch is not known. 



There is a white heron, the fize of the former, his bill yellow, feet 

 black. Alfo a black heron, a blue heron, and feveral of other colours. 



The Aigrette is of the heron family, and diftinguifhed by long filky 

 feathers on his back, ufed to form ornaments for the head-drelfes of 

 ladies, knights, and fultans. They rife from each flioulder in a tuft, 

 which extends beyond the tail; are fnow-white; bill and feet black j the 

 bird about two feet high. Is found alfo in America ; alfo another of 

 double the fize j as are feveral varieties of the heron kind, very large and 

 very fmall. 



Part IV. No, 26, R THE 



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