BEAK OF THE BITTERN. 1 43 



anything inflated by wind; and they, like the Hur- 

 gilas, not only frequent marshes, but rise slowly to 

 immense heights, where they will remain for a con- 

 siderable time. 



We cannot take leave of the Heron family with- 

 out putting our readers on their guard against a very 

 dangerous instinctive faculty they seem to possess, 

 of depriving their assailants of eye-sight. If wounded, 

 they will allow a dog to approach, and then, though 

 apparently insensible, will, in an instant, with un- 

 erring aim, dart at its eye, with a force, rapidity, and 

 certainty, which it is almost impossible to guard 

 against. We remember a gentleman who narrowly 

 escaped ; he had, as he conceived, killed a Bittern, 

 and deposited it in a large pocket of his shooting- 

 jacket : when, fortunately, as he was walking on, 

 happening to feel something insinuating itself be- 

 tween his arm and side, he, just in time to save his 

 eye, caught sight of the beak of the 'Bittern, which 

 had been only wounded, and was in the act of 

 lancing itself, with the full elastic jerk of its long 

 neck, towards his face. This faculty, however, is not 

 entirely confined to either the Heron or Bittern, it 

 extends itself to other species, as appears from the 

 similar escape of a naval officer, on the coast of 

 Africa. " I winged/' says he, "a beautiful white 

 Aigrette, that was passing over head, and brought it 

 to the ground ; when, as I was in the act of picking 

 it up, it struck at my eye with its beak, and had it 

 not been for my glasses, must inevitably have re- 

 duced it to perpetual darkness." " I have since," 

 he adds, " heard of a gentleman, who, under similar 

 circumstances, was not so fortunate; he still lives, 



