THE BLUE HERON 



along those banks, no wonder Kingfishers poised above that water 

 by day, or that 'coons flattened themselves and lay immovable 

 while they fished for frogs by night, for all of them could see 

 their prey plainly and know exactly how to capture it. 



I pulled into the lake, took my bearings and made for the 

 point where the Herons seemed to congregate. On reaching it I 

 found the remains of an old saw-mill. The shores of all these 

 northern lakes and rivers were dotted with them a few years ago. 

 There was an oozy landing-place on sawdust foundation, and the 

 old mill was due to collapse in the first hard wind-storm. I pulled 

 the boat up on the landing and entered the mill, which was just a 

 shed, the floor half covered with water. Many boards were lack- 

 ing, but enough were left to shelter me, and quietly creeping to 

 the back end where the mill had been built over the water on pur- 

 pose to float in logs, I saw a sight. 



The rushes had grown up through what formerly had been 

 a bed of sawdust, until they almost reached the mill. In this rot- 

 ten sawdust there seemed to be a big white worm, of which the 

 Herons were fond, and how they did gobble frogs! Undoubtedly 

 the old mill was the attraction for both frogs and birds. The 

 story was told in nature's plainest writ. The sun shining on the 

 water-soaked sawdust raised a sweetish sappy odor. This odor 

 attracted flies and other insects in myriads. The insects in turn 

 lured the frogs. The frogs made a feast which called up the 

 Herons, and the Herons furnished subjects for my cameras. In- 

 side the old mill, so close I could almost reach out and touch the 

 actors, I interpreted these "signs." 



Surely I am qualified to tell how a Blue Heron catches frogs. 

 There is no hunting; his prey comes to him. The great birds, 

 some of them over three feet in height, came winging across the 

 lake, selected the spot from which they wished to fish, and with as 

 little noise as possible alighted. After looking carefully about 



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