A SUSSEX MARSH 



The herons, however, have shifted their habitations, 

 and now build their nests at Windmill Hill, half a 

 mile away. One of the pleasantest of spring sights, 

 to my mind, is to watch this fine herony during the 

 nesting season. The great birds are constantly going 

 and returning to and from the group of tall trees in 

 which their habitations are placed, and one can observe 

 and appreciate their grand flight to its greatest advan- 

 tage. The neighbouring Marsh dykes and streams 

 afford ample fishing-grounds, and one seldom crosses 

 the Level without seeing these acute and patient fishers. 

 Fish, frogs, eels, newts, and even water-voles, and the 

 young of moorhens for these birds are carnivorous as 

 well as fish-eaters form their staple diet. After watch- 

 ing the Windmill Hill heronry closely for several 

 seasons, I come to the conclusion that about the same 

 number of birds frequent it each year. What, then, 

 becomes of the increase of population, added by the 

 rearing of young each spring? It is hard to say. Our 

 grey heron of Britain is found widely distributed over 

 the world in Europe, Asia, Africa, even in countries 

 as far distant as Japan and Australia. It is not im- 

 possible that, like the wandering Briton himself, our 

 English herons pass into far distant regions beyond the 

 seas, and make there new homes and abiding-places. I 

 have watched with interest the common heron in South 

 Africa, and have wondered to myself whether he was 

 " colonial-bred " or, like myself, " home-born." It is, 

 I think, certain that few British heronies show any 

 appreciable increase of population, except temporarily 

 during the nesting season. 



A fairly near connection of the heron, the now rare 

 spoonbill, occasionally strays to Pevensey Marshes, 

 ^though never now nesting in England, as it used to 



), the snowy spoonbill makes an occasional pilgrim- 



5 



