154 



GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL. 



glorious pastime of our forefathers must be little 

 else than ' vanity and vexation of spirit.' 



I have since seen a few partridges killed by a 

 cast of well trained falcons, and was once present 

 at the capture of a heron by the same birds. 

 The falconer and his party of which I was one 

 stationed themselves in a deep ditch or drain 

 which traversed the edge of a large bog, over 

 which the herons had been observed to fly very 

 low, when returning from fishing in the neigh- 

 bouring swamps and morasses, Some of us would 

 crawl occasionally to the top of the bank, and 

 straining our eyes to the utmost, endeavour to 

 catch a glimpse of the quarry in the distance, as, 

 with heavy flight, it might be seen flapping slowly 

 along the surface of the moor, gradually nearing 

 our position, and apparently certain of passing di- 

 rectly over our heads ; but we were frequently dis- 

 appointed. One after another did several of these 

 magnificent birds come within what we supposed 

 to be a moderate distance, and many and loud 

 were our remonstrances as the inexorable falconer 

 still obstinately refused to liberate his hawks, and 

 persisted in waiting for a more favourable oppor- 

 tunity. This at last occurred. A devoted heron, 

 whose approach we had all regarded in breathless 

 silence, now advanced in a direction which seemed 

 to satisfy the scruples of even the fastidious 



