294 HERONS, STORKS, AND IBISES. 



Water of every kind, from the sea-marge to the mountain-stream, forms the 

 favourite haunt and hunting-ground of the herons ; and there the common species 

 may be seen standing alone and silent, knee-deep in the flood, watching patientl}' 

 for a passing fish, with its head drawn back and ready to strike with unerring 

 aim at a moment's notice. Although the chief food of these birds consists 

 of fish, all kinds of water - animals, not too large for their capacities, are 

 captured easily, among them being frogs, snakes, water-voles, young water-fowl, 

 crustaceans, insects, and worms. The usual time for fishing is early in the 

 morning and late in the evening, while on moonlight nights the business is con- 

 tinued till a later hour. In spite of its extreme voraciousness, the heron is not 

 considered a wholly unwelcome visitor to trout-streams, on account of the number 

 of voles and coarse fish it destroys. Mostly solitary during the winter, the common 

 heron assembles together in the early spring for nesting in large numbers ; the 

 " heronry " being generally situated in tall trees, and occupied for generation after 

 generation. Heronries, like the well-known one at Cressy Hall near Spalding, 

 have been so often described, that it will be unnecessary to repeat the details here. 

 It may be observed, however, that the nest, which is of large size, and relatively 

 flat and wide, is formed of sticks and lined with twigs, fibres, and grass ; and that 

 the three or four eggs are bluish green in colour. While the hen is sitting, the 

 male bird takes his stand during his hours of rest on a branch hard by, where he 

 may be seen maintaining his position in the face of a gale. Both parents take a 

 part in feeding the young, and after the first brood is able to take care of itself 

 a second clutch of eggs is laid. In English heronries the nests are commonly built 

 in oaks, elms, or wych-elms, but in Kashmir the magnificent chunars or plane- 

 trees are the favourite breeding resorts of these birds. Occasionally the nests are 

 built on rocky cliffs overgrown with ivy or low shrubs. The alarm-cry of the 

 heron is the well-known hoarse crank, crank, but in the breeding-season the note 

 is more prolonged. In Sind, where the common heron is very numerous, it is 

 employed by the natives as a decoy-bird for other water-fowl. "About every 

 fisherman's village," writes Mr. Hume, " hundreds may be seen perched about on 

 the boats, on stacks of brushwood thrown into the water, and on poles, perfectly 

 motionless, and more like stuffed than living birds. The eyelids of all are sewn 

 up ; they dare not move, poor things, and, wherever they are placed for the day, 

 there they remain immovable. Generally they are lightly tethered by one leg, but 

 I saw several, perhaps old prisoners, in no way tied." Occasionally, a bird gets 

 loose and flies skywards in the usual circling manner, and in such cases they are 

 never known to return, but wander forth to perish miserably from hunger. 



The purple heron is a more nocturnal bird than the common species, approxi- 

 mating in. its habits to the bittern. The goliath heron, according to observations 

 made by Major E. A. Butler in Natal, does not appear to breed in companies. A 

 nest seen by this officer " was situated in the centre of an open valley, and placed 

 on the top of a patch of green sedge beaten down by the wind and rain, and 

 forming, as it were, a sort of small island, being raised about two feet above the 

 level of the water. It consisted of a dense mass of dry sedge and reeds lined 

 with dark-coloured sedge and a species of aquatic creeper, being about two feet 

 in diameter and very flat on the surface, and exposed to view from all sides. 



