THE HEEON.] 



SHOOTING, 



[the HEEOir. 



over the breast beiug long, loose, and un- 

 ■webbed. The shoulder and scapular feathers 

 are likewise of the same kind of texture, of a 

 grey colour, generally streaked with white, 

 and spread over its down-clothed back. The 

 ridge of the wing is white, the coverts and 

 secondaries lead-coloured, and the bastard 

 wings and quills are of a bluish black, as are 

 also the long soft feathers which take their 

 rise on the sides under the wings. These fall 

 down, meet their tips, and hide all the under 

 parts ; the latter, next the skin, being covered 

 with a thick, matted, dirty-white down, except 

 about the belly and vent, which are almost 

 bare. The tail is short, and consists of twelve 

 feathers of a brownish-red colour. The legs 

 are a dirty green, long, bare above the knees, 

 and the middle claw is jagged on the inner 

 edge. 



The female differs from the male in not 

 possessing the long flowing crest, or the long 

 feathers which adorn the breast of the male. 

 The entire plumage of the female is com- 

 paratively subdued and uninteresting. 



Shooting the heron may generally be re- 

 ferred more to chance than any settled plan of 

 sporting with the gun. The extreme shyness 

 of the bird renders it difi&cult to be got at ; 

 and it is commonly only by accident that the 

 sportsman falls upon it and secures it. "When 

 not fatally wounded at first, it will turn upon 

 both the shooter and his dog, if he has one ; 

 and, with its hard-pointed bill, it can inflict a 

 sharp wound, , One that was shot in the 

 north of England, dropped a trout of ten 

 inches out of its mouth. On the dog ap- 

 proaching it, he was struck upon the forehead 

 by the bird's bill, and a wound more than half 

 an inch deep was inflicted. Such occurrences 

 are far from being rare in the shooting annals 

 of this curious specimen of the fen-birds. 



In England, herons were, for centuries, con- 

 sidered royal game, and protected as such by 

 the law. Whoever destroyed their eggs was 

 liable to a penalty of twenty shillings for each 

 ofience. AVhen heron-hawking was a favourite 

 diversion among the nobility and gentry, the 

 bird was considered a rich dainty at their 

 tables. The heron has been partially tamed. 

 Sir John Sebright knew of a full-grown one 

 taken in a decoy, and brought to J. D. 

 Downes, Esq., at Old Guntou Hall. At first, 

 56S 



it was crammed with food, and at length be- 

 came so tame as to follow him on the wino- to 

 the distance of some miles, to come into the 

 house when called, and to take food from the 

 hand. 



THE GREAT WHITE HERON. 



The Ardea Alba of Linnaeus is seldom found 

 in Great Britain. It is about the same size as 

 the common heron, but stands higher, being 

 longer in the legs. It is devoid of crest, and its 

 plumage is entirely white; its bill is yellow, 

 and its legs black. It is found in considerable 

 numbers in the Russian dominions, and in most 

 of the countries contiguous to the Caspian and 

 Black Seas, and the lakes of Tartary. It is 

 met with in the United States of America from 

 June to October, and is often shot in these 

 parts. 



THE NIGHT HERON 



Is only about twenty inches in length. The 

 bill is nearly four inches long, slightly arched, 

 strong, black, and inclining to yellow at its 

 base. The skin from the beak round the eye 

 is bare, of a greenish hue, and its irides are 

 yellow. A white line is extended from the 

 beak, and over each eye a black patch, glossed 

 with green, covers the crown of the head and 

 nape of the neck, from which three long and 

 narrow white feathers, tipped with brown, hang 

 loose and waving. The hinder part of the 

 neck, coverts of the wings, sides, and tail, are 

 ash-coloured, and the throat is white. The 

 fore part of the neck, breast, and belly, are of 

 a yellowish white, approaching to buff; the 

 back is black, and the legs a greenish yellow. 

 The female bird is nearly of the same dimen- 

 sions; but she differs considerably in her 

 plumage from the male. The former is less 

 bright, distinct, and vividly portrayed ; neither 

 has she the delicate plumes which flow from 

 the head of the male. It is unnecessary here 

 to describe the " Stork" and the " Crane ;" for, 

 although they are birds similar to the heron, 

 they are now rarely met with in this country. 

 This bird frequents the sea-shores, rivers, 

 and inland lakes and marshes, and lives upon 

 crickets, slugs, frogs, reptiles, and fish. During 

 the day it lies concealed, and does not roam 

 abroad until the approach of nightfall. It is 

 known by its rough, harsh, discordant cry, 



