50 HILLSIDE, ROCK, AND DALE 



A shadow passes over the lake, and a heron is 

 seen gliding between the trees. He settles near the 

 stream side. Just behind him are some bushes, and 

 behind these is a carrion crow. For some minutes 

 the heron stands motionless. His long neck is 

 raised ; he is taking in every movement in the land- 

 scape. Now a rabbit making from mound to mound 

 is noticed, and quickly his head is turned. 



All this time the crow is slowly and seemingly 

 innocently walking in the direction of the larger bird, 

 but our heron does not seem to heed him. Nearer 

 and still nearer he comes, pretending to be feeding, 

 and then, when only a yard separates them, the crow 

 runs swiftly forward and inflicts a sharp peck on the 

 long legs of the unsuspecting heron. 



A hop, skip, and a jump, an angry note, fraank ! 

 and the heron, evidently suffering from that uncom- 

 fortable feeling, that which mortals also sometimes 

 experience, of having been "done," flies to the other 

 side of the lake, Not so the crow. He is naturally 

 exultant, and his sarcastic cry sounds uncommonly 

 like the expression of a cunning boy who has taken 

 another by surprise. 



This scene was the most comical little episode I 

 have witnessed in wild Nature, and I feel sure the 

 cute old crow the chief actor in the comedy 

 enjoyed the fun as much as I did as a looker-on. 



The heron, evidently satisfied that no human in- 



