268 AMERICAN GAME. 



bloody, and much more uncruel the days when no 

 booming duck-gun keeled him over with certain and 

 inglorious death, as he napped up with his broad vans 

 beating the cool autumnal air, and his long, greenish- 

 yellow legs pendulous behind him, from out of the dark 

 sheltering water-flags by the side of the brimful river, or 

 the dark woodland tarn ; but when the cheery yelp of a 

 cry of feathery-legged spaniels aroused him from his 

 arundinaceous, which is interpreted by moderns reedy, 

 lair when the triumphant whoop of the jovial falconers 

 saluted his uprising ; and when he was done to death 

 right chivalrously, with honorable law permitted to him, 

 as to the royal stag, before the long-winged Norway 

 falcons, noblest of all the fowls of air, were unhooded 

 and cast off to give him gallant chase. 



If, when struck down from his pride of place by the 

 crook-beaked blood-hound of the air, his legs were mer- 

 cilessly broken, and his long bill thrust into the ground, 

 that the falcon might dispatch him without fear of con- 

 sequences, and at leisure, it was doubtless a source of 

 pride to him, as to the tortured Indian at the stake, to 

 be so tormented, since the amount of the torture was 

 commensurate with the renown of the tortured ; besides 

 for which the Bittern was, of course, truly grateful 

 it was his high and extraordinary prerogative to have 

 his legs broken as aforesaid, and his long bill thrust into 

 the ground, by the fair hand of the loveliest lady present 

 thrice blessed Bittern of the days of old. 



