CHAPTER VI 

 THE HERON 



Herons maintain their plenty — Number of heronries — Those near 

 London— Expert fishermen— Their diet— Heron hawking— A fine 

 sport— Scott's mistake— Heron's foot legend— A moorhen devoured 

 — Nesting habits— Rooks and herons— Ancient penalties for robbing 

 heronries — Provincial names— A heronry in spring— A heron in 

 captivity. 



HERONS are among the most interesting relics of 

 the wild England of the past ; of the days when 

 the surface of the greater portion of our country con- 

 sisted of woodland, moor, or marsh ; when the land 

 teemed with strange beasts of chase, and the wildfowl 

 held almost undisputed sway over league upon league 

 of fen and waste. And although almost all our greater 

 fauna have been crushed out of existence, and vast 

 numbers of interesting wildfowl have been driven by 

 cultivation or persecution from their ancient haunts, it 

 is a pleasure to record the fact that the heron is still to 

 be found in fair abundance throughout the length and 

 breadth of the British Islands. 



It is quite a mistake to suppose that herons and 

 heronries are still decreasing. As a matter of fact, 

 there can be little doubt that within the last hundred 

 years they have certainly gained in numbers. The 

 nesting-places of these birds are to be found at the 

 present time in no less than forty-one counties in 

 England and Wales. The number of heronries may 

 be put down roughly at about 133, not including those 



47 



