276 BRITISH SEA BIRDS. 



custom generally attaches to it. There are few 

 places round the English coast known to me where 

 the Heron forms such a distinctive feature in the 

 scene as on the wide estuary of the Exe, or, but not 

 so abundant, on that of the Teign, a little lower 

 down the Devonshire coast. Sometimes a score or 

 more Herons may be counted here together, 

 standing like big blue sentinels on the marshes, 

 wading in the tidal pools, or flying in their slow 

 deliberate way, above the flats. Many of these 

 Herons breed in the valley of the Dart. Odd 

 Herons may also be flushed here and there along 

 more rock-bound coasts. The flight of this species 

 is very imposing, witnessed to perfection as the bird 

 passes to or from its feeding or fishing grounds, and 

 its nightly retreat in some distant wood ; or 

 perhaps, better still, when mobbed by some Gull, or 

 mobbing one in return. The Heron feeds largely 

 on fishes, either those from salt- or fresh-water, 

 together with frogs, water insects, and even small 

 mammals. The Heron fishing is a perfect picture 

 of still life, an ornament to the shore. As a rule, 

 the Heron is a remarkably silent bird ; he fishes, 

 like all good anglers, in absolute quietness ; but 

 when passing through the air, on his frequent 

 journeys, he often utters a short, deep trumpet-like 

 note, startling and strange-sounding enough when 

 heard from the evening sky. 



The Heron breeds locally throughout the British 

 Islands, its favourite nesting places being in woods 



