184 Clear Skies and Cloudy. 



encumbrance, as they at first appear to be, but 

 are fixed in an outreaching position and offer 

 no resistance to the bird's progress. The old 

 days of the peregrine falcon are no more, and 

 the bird here has no enemies. The bald eagle 

 that was recently in sight might prove a dan- 

 gerous foe were it so disposed, but it cares for 

 fish and mammals more than birds, and I have 

 never seen one attack a heron or any bird on 

 these meadows. Negative evidence, of course, 

 and of less significance because eagles are rare 

 now, and herons not so abundant as forty years 

 ago. The indifference of farmers, and that 

 abuse of freedom, allowing anybody and every- 

 body to carry a gun at all seasons, has done its 

 deadly work. Where there should be a hundred 

 birds we are fortunate now if we see ten. Time 

 was when there were herons and heronries and 

 stately white egrets along the river-shore, and 

 the creeks teemed with wild fowl in season. 

 It is a cause to be thankful, to-day, that the 

 heron, a single heron, has given to this dismal 

 day the charm of its presence, and so added to 

 the evidence that the exclamation, " How deso- 

 late !" was not merited. 



