344 SERVICES RENDERED. [CHAP. Tin. 



and poking among the water-weeds to find their victims 

 by feeling, exactly as we may suppose to be the case 

 with Woodcocks, Snipes, and Curlews. A popular 

 notion here is, that the legs of the Herons secrete an 

 oil which is attractive to fish, and which tempts them 

 to swim within reach of the bird's unerring bill ; and 

 it has been suggested, in consequence, that some pre- 

 paration from the legs of Herons would be a capital 

 thing to smear or mix with bait, and so make it irre- 

 sistible to the fascinated Roach and Dace ; but Storks 

 have no such inviting medicament to aid them, and are 

 obliged to trust entirely to their own exertions ; fish, 

 however, is but a small item of their diet. On inspect- 

 ing the eastings which they now and then throw up 

 from their stomach, (and which may have contained 

 among other indigestible matter, jewels and ginger- 

 roots, as before related,) I have often observed the 

 wing-cases of beetles. The grubs of these insects they 

 eat greedily, and so must not only be serviceable to 

 pasture lands, but in a country like Holland, where the 

 very existence of the people depends on the dykes, which 

 are themselves held together by the roots of grasses, 

 W 7 hieh again are most liable to destruction by grubs, the 

 Stork must be an incalculable benefactor. But even 

 more : the Water Rat is extremely destructive to such 

 banks, by burrowing through them the beginnings of 

 strife are like the letting in of waters and also by 

 eating both the tops and the roots of various plants 

 that hold them together. But let a Water Rat only 

 venture within reach of a Stork's bill, and he will 

 soon find himself transferred to a small safe dun- 

 geon, whence there is no return. I have been told 

 that some years back a tame Stork was kept at 



