COMMON HEEON 15 



but when evading a Falcon or an Eagle it can twist and 

 swoop with great velocity, and its powers of soaring are 

 no less remarkable than those exhibited by the Stork or 

 Crane. (See p. 40.) 



Voice. The loud alarm-cry is generally sounded when 

 the bird is about to rise, or when it is winging its way 

 homeward to roost. It can be heard a long way off, even 

 when the bird is a great height in the air. It may be 

 syllabled ank-ank, or ack-ack, and the tone of the voice is 

 very harsh and scolding. The note heard at the breeding- 

 haunts is softer and sounds like crau-crau-craak. The half- 

 fledged young keep up a constant chattering, ic-ic-ic. 



Nest. Many species of birds which assemble in large 

 companies to breed are more or less gregarious throughout 

 the year, for instance, Kooks, Lapwings, Terns and Gulls. 

 The Heron, on the contrary, is a bird which enjoys solitude 

 except during the breeding-season, when it becomes dis- 

 tinctly sociable. 



Herons are very early breeding-birds, congregating at 

 their heronries towards the end of January. They usually 

 build on lofty trees, such as the fir or beech, often in com- 

 pany with Rooks and less frequently with Cormorants. In 

 districts where trees are not available, low, stunted bushes 

 are utilised. Heronries, however, are occasionally to be 

 found in a variety of other sites, such as on the walls of ruins, 

 covered or not with ivy, among reeds and bulrushes, on the 

 bare side of a hill, and on the ground. I have found a 

 few Herons' nests on the wild rugged cliffs of the Dingle 

 peninsula. The nests in a heronry vary in size and shape ; 

 some are considerably larger and deeper than others, and 

 only the smaller ones are built out at the ends of slender 

 branches. 1 Those placed on thick, stunted bushes, on cliffs, 

 or on the ground, often exceed in size those placed in trees. 

 The more usual shape of the nests is that of a broad and 

 rather flattened cup : the foundation is made of sticks, 

 the lining is of finer twigs, sometimes of dried grass and 

 other herbage. The eggs, three to five in number, are 

 bluish-green; they are laid early in February in sheltered 



1 Herons on approaching their breeding- haunts may often be seen 

 precipitating themselves through the air from a considerable height 

 and perching without hesitation on the nearest branches, which are not 

 always capable of sustaining their weight. It is amusing to see the 

 antics of the great birds as they tumble through the tops of the trees 

 before gaining a sure footing ; their mates all the while uttering a low 

 and anxious growl. 



