THE COMMON HERON. 7 1 



known from the Malay Peninsula, though it has occurred in 

 Australia, and the British Museum has a Bornean specimen, 

 procured at Baram Fort in Sarawak. It breeds throughout 

 Europe and Asia south of about 60 N. lat., and migrates 

 south in winter, visiting the Mediterranean countries and the 

 African continent, though even in this southern habitat it also 

 breeds in suitable localities. In India and China it likewise 

 nests. 



Habits. Although a very shy bird as a rule, the habits of 

 the Heron may be easily watched during the breeding-season, 

 as will be seen from the interesting note given to me by Mr. 

 Barrett-Hamilton. Young birds are more often procured than 

 old ones, which are wary enough, but the young ones betake 

 themselves to ponds and the edges of inland lakes, and on the 

 sea-coast to the deep mud-gullies of our harbours, where it is 

 often easy to stalk them. I have sometimes shot them under 

 the latter circumstances with remains of down still adhering to 

 the feathers of the crest. They are not uncommonly seen in the 

 west of London, and sometimes pass quite low over my garden 

 in Chiswick, on their way to a pond not two hundred yards 

 from a road, though the birds are not allowed to alight without 

 a severe mobbing from a pair of Jackdaws which nest in an 

 elm-tree hard by. 



Mr. Barrett-Hamilton sends me the following note: "When 

 protected, the Heron is not at all shy during the breeding- 

 season, and I know of two or three heronries which are quite 

 close to houses. Two of the nests in County Wexford are 

 so close to a house that one can watch the birds with the 

 greatest ease, and almost see into the nests. Occasionally the 

 Herons are annoyed by the visits of Hooded Crows, and at 

 such times the indignant Herons make a great clatter. I have 

 seen a 'Hoody' sitting on the top of a spruce-tree watching 

 the Herons, one of which would every now and then leave its 

 perch and swoop round, when 'caa-caa-caa' would say the Crow, 

 and start off in pursuit, and the ponderous Heron, being no 

 match for his adversary in the air, would have to alight again 

 to avoid his stoops. But when once he had done so, the Crow 

 dare not touch him. Rooks, too, often annoy Herons at their 

 breeding-places, and cause them to desert the latter. It is 



