• THE HERON. 543 



so long a time the muscular energy which is expended in holding 

 up the spare leg and keeping it tucked under their belly. 



Now and then one of the Herons seems to wake up, and after 

 a stretch of the neck and a flap of the wings, walks statelily and 

 deliberately into the water, through which it stalks, examining 

 every inch of bank and every cluster of weeds as it passes along. 

 Presently the bird pauses, and remains quite still for some time, 

 when the long neck is suddenly darted forward, the beak disap- 

 pears for a second among the reeds, and presently emerges with 

 a fish, frog, or water-rat in its gripe. ■ The real beauty of the Her- 

 on can never be appreciated until it is seen at liberty, and in the 

 enjoyment of its natural life. It suits the locality so well that, 

 when it flies away, the spot has lost somewhat of its charms. As 

 it stands in the water, intent upon catching prey, the drooping 

 feathers of its breast wave gracefully in the breeze, and the rip- 

 ples of the sunlit water are reflected in mimic waves upon its 

 gray-plumed wings. 



Generally it cares little for exerting itself until toward the 

 evening, but then it becomes impatient and restless, and is not 

 quieted until it has obtained some food. 



Some anglers have an idea that the Heron is one of the birds 

 that ought to be ranked as "vermin," thinking that it destroys so 

 many fish that it ruins an angler's sport. Consequently they 

 kill the bird whenever they can manage to do so, and flatter 

 themselves that they are doing good service in preserving the 

 breed of fish. Now, even were the entire diet of the Heron to 

 consist of fish, the bird would really do but little harm, because it 

 can only take food in shallow water, and is seldom to be seen 

 more than a yard or two from the bank. But the diet of the 

 Heron is by no means exclusively of a fishy nature, inasmuch as 

 the bird eats plenty of frogs and newts, and will often secure a 

 water-rat even when fully grown. It is seldom that fish which 

 ,are of any value to the angler come into water in which the Her- 

 on could catch them, and even if they did so, their size would pre- 

 vent the bird from takinsr them. 



O 



At Walton Hall, where the Herons breed largely, and where 

 they procure nearly all the food for themselves and young out of 

 the lake, there is no lack of fish, as may be practically proved by 

 any one who is permitted to cast a line into the water. I am a 

 very poor fisherman, and yet I never found any difficulty in tak- 

 ing in the course of the morning quite as many fish as could 

 easily be carried home. 



