THROUGH THE WOODS. in 



full of interest to the lover of bird life. The 

 graceful Herons may be seen poised on the top- 

 most twigs of the trees, or flying to and fro and 

 round and round above their flat stick-built nests. 

 The Heron breeds early in the south of England, 

 laying its four or five greenish blue eggs in the be- 

 ginning of April, if the season is favourable. Some- 

 times the heronry is situated far from the fishing 

 grounds, and then the old birds may be watched 

 passing to and fro as regularly as Rooks until the 

 young can fly, when the colony disperses for a 

 season. Fish, frogs, and water insects form its 

 usual food ; but it will often snap up a mouse or a 

 rat, or even the chicks of the Coot and the Moor- 

 hen. Many a pleasant hour may be spent in the 

 woods frequented by Herons in watching their 

 return at evening to roost in the old accustomed 

 trees ; and every lover of Nature must regret that 

 the birds are not more common, and the sight of 

 the returning birds at sunset a more usual one to 

 the naturalist. The gray general colour of the 

 Heron, its black crest, black and white neck, and 

 broad nearly black wings, together with its large 

 size (length three feet), and long legs, make its 

 identification a most easy task. 



With a glimpse at the wood-haunting Owls 

 and the Birds of Prey we will bring the present 

 ramble to a close, The woods are a refuge for at 

 least six of these interesting birds. They seek 

 most of their food, it is true, upon the more open 

 country, but the woods are their sanctuary, the 

 trees their fastness, during their hours of rest, and 

 during the vitally important period that they rear 

 their offspring. Perhaps the best known of the 

 Owls is the TAWNY OWL (Strix aluco\ a dweller 



