352 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



striking their prey, especially if they were fishing in 

 shallow water. My partially tame one would occa- 

 sionally, where the bank was steep and the water 

 deep, jump bodily into the water for a fish, and if 

 successful swim to shore with it in its mouth ; but 

 I do not know that this is usual with the bird in its 

 wild state. 



In the spring the Herons usually accumulate at 

 their favourite breeding stations, or Heronries, in 

 considerable numbers. The nests are usually placed 

 on high trees, and are made of sticks: they look 

 much like exaggerated Books' nests. Occasionally 

 also their nests are placed on precipitous rocks, and, 

 but still more rarely, amongst reeds and rushes.* 



In the adult bird the beak is yellow ; the lore yel- 

 lowish green ; irides yellow (the eyes look very much 

 forward, being set rather at angle to than level with 

 the sides of the face) ; the forehead is white, over 

 the eye, the top of the head, and the elongated 

 feathers forming the crest, which reach nearly half 

 way down the back of the neck, are black; chin, 

 cheeks and upper part of the neck white ; lower part 

 of the back of the neck slightly tinged with grey ; 

 back, scapulars, wing-coverts and tertials bluish 

 grey ; from the back and scapulars arise some very 

 long narrow drooping feathers of a light grey, almost 

 white ; the primary quills are black ; the feathers on 



* Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 278. 



