l8o THE HERONS. 



sent out by one of the illustrated papers. We 

 all know that the British public demands palm 

 trees in an oriental scene and perhaps it demands 

 Adjutants too. But that special artist is an honorable 

 man they are all honourable men. Somehow it 

 happens that I have never seen that Adjutant at the 

 Towers of Silence, nor any other Stork in Bombay. 

 Of Herons, however, we have no lack. The common- 

 est is the Pond Heron, or Blind Heron, or Paddy 

 Bird (Ardeola leucoptera), which despises not the most 

 paltry tank or pool that will hold a frog. Even the 

 native Christians of Salsette do not esteem this a very 

 dainty bird for the table, so it is little persecuted and 

 grows very familiar, allowing you to approach within 

 a few paces before it suddenly produces a pair of 

 snowy wings from its pockets and flaps away. Till 

 it unfolded those wings it was a yellowish-grey bird, 

 darker on the back and streaky about the neck and 

 breast. During the breeding season, that is in the 

 rains, its back and shoulders are clothed with a mantle 

 of rich maroon, and a crest of long, pointed, white 

 feathers adorns its head. It is then a handsome bird, 

 though its snakey, yellow eyes spoil its expression. 

 Its legs are green and its beak greenish yellow, black- 

 ened at the tip as if burnt. Like all Herons, it has 

 a great deal of feather and little solid .body. The 

 length of its serpentine neck is quite disguised by the 

 long plumes that hang down in front and behind. 

 The small frogs and fishes and even the cautious 

 crabs have little suspicion of the length of its reach. 

 To watch for these, standing ankle-deep in dirty 

 water, is its sole occupation, and that long, hard, 

 sharp beak is a perfect pair of forceps for plucking them 



