28 ARDEA HERODIAS. 



any spots. The young- are produced about the middle 

 of May, and remain on the trees until they are full a8 

 heavy as the old ones, being extremely fat, b-fore they 

 are able to fly. They breed but once in tli 

 If disturbed in their breeding place, the old birds lly 

 occasionally over the spot, sometimes honking like a 

 goose, sometimes uttering a coarse hollow ni! 

 noise, like that of a hog, but much louder. 



The great heron is said to be fat at the full moon, 

 and lean at its decrease ; this might be accounted for 

 by the fact of their fishing regularly by moonlight 

 through the greater part of the night, as well as during 

 the day; but the observation is not universal, for at 

 such times I have found some lean, as well as others 

 fat. The young are said to be excellent for the table, 

 and even the old birds, when in good order, and properly 

 cooked, are esteemed by many. 



The principal food of the great heron is fish, for 

 which he watches with the most unwearied patience, 

 and seizes them with surprising dexterity. At the 

 edge of the river, pond, or sea shore, he stands fixed 

 and motionless, sometimes for hours together. But his 

 stroke is as quick as thought, and sure as fate, to the 

 first luckless fish that approaches within his reach ; 

 those he sometimes beats to death, and always swallows 

 head foremost, such being their uniform position in the 

 stomach. He is also an excellent mouser, and of great 

 service to our meadows, iu destroying the short-tailed 

 or meadow mouse, so injurious to the banks. He also 

 feeds eagerly on grasshoppers, various winged in-. 

 particularly dragon flies, which he is very expert at 

 striking, and also eats the seeds of that species of 

 nymplue usually called splatterdocks, so abundant along 

 our fresh water ponds and rivers. 



The heron has great powers of wing, flying sometimes 

 very high, and to a great distance ; his neck doubled, 

 his head drawn in, and his long legs stretched out 

 in a right line behind him, appearing like a tail, and, 

 probably, serving the same rudder-like office. When 

 he leaves the sea coast, and traces, on wing, the courses 



