SOME FEATHERED BUILDERS u 



to show again like a silver streak ; filling now, 

 as in olden times, all the hammer and furnace 

 ponds of that district. From the comparatively 

 shallow waters of the feeding stream the herons 

 were capturing fish to supply the needs of their 

 voracious youngsters, which, in their first stage, 

 look like bunches of tow, with great gapes and 

 goggle eyes. Their fish-spears or bills are very 

 different at first from their adult form, that is, 

 when they are ready to leave the nesting-trees. 

 Here comes a fine old cock bird ; he is pure 

 in plumage, and well crested. As the bird is 

 barely a quarter of a mile away, our glasses 

 bring him close to us. After flapping over his 

 particular tree once or twice, he lowers, lets his 

 long legs down, and raises his long broad wings 

 up over him, so that, when he comes down, his 

 flight feathers will not get crippled by coming 

 in contact with the rough, scraggy top branches. 

 For a few seconds the bird's wings shiver, and 

 his toes feel for the edge of the nest, the next 

 moment he is busily feeding his brood They 

 are very like rooks in some of their ways, but 

 far more interesting in many of their habits. 

 One thing I can answer for : like the rooks, 

 they do not commit one quarter of the mischief 

 which they are credited with. 



