THE CRANE KIND. 319 



but he never hovers over deep waters, as there 

 his prey is enabled to escape him by sinking to 

 the bottom. In shallow places he darts with 

 more certainty ; for though the fish at sight of 

 its enemy instantly descends, yet the heron, with 

 his long bill and legs, instantly pins it to the bot- 

 tom, and thus seizes it securely. In this manner, 

 after having been seen with his long neck for 

 above a minute under water, he rises upon the 

 wing, with a trout or an eel struggling in his bill 

 to get free. The greedy bird, however, flies to 

 the shore, scarcely gives it time to expire, but 

 swallows it whole, and then returns to fishing as 

 before. 



As this bird does incredible mischief to ponds 

 newly stocked, Willoughby has given a receipt 

 for taking it. " Having found his haunt, get 

 three or four small roach or dace, and having 

 provided a strong hook with a wire to it, this is 

 drawn just within-side the skin of the fish, begin- 

 ning without-side the gills, and running it to the 

 tail, by which the fish will not be killed, but con- 

 tinue for five or six days alive. Then having 

 a strong line made of silk and wire, about two 

 yards and a half long, it is tied to a stone at one 

 end, the fish with the hook being suffered to 

 swim about at the other. This being properly 

 disposed in shallow water, the heron will seize 

 upon the fish to its own destruction. From this 

 method we may learn that the fish must be alive, 

 otherwise the heron will not touch them ; and 

 that this bird, as well as all those that feed upon 

 fish, must be its own caterer ; for they will not 



