212 IN SUMMER. 



water's edge, I did think of the great lion-hunter 

 of South Africa, and honestly believe I could 

 realize, even more vividly than when I read his 

 thrilling pages, what he had seen. 



Probably no feature of wild life is so char- 

 acteristic of water-scenes as the tall wading 

 birds, herons, snipe, and sand-pipers. I did not 

 anticipate the coming of any of these, unless it 

 might be the little teetering sand-piper that is 

 practically a land bird ; but it has kept aloof, so 

 far as I know, while stately herons have come 

 and trod the grassy shores and fished in the shal- 

 low depths. These birds are not a feature of the 

 day, however, and unless you are abroad after 

 sunset you would not suspect their presence. 

 And then do not expect too much. Probably 

 some of the wonderful stories concerning herons, 

 bitterns, cranes, and storks, have come to your 

 notice, but it is quite certain that our North Amer- 

 ican species are very prosy, and set off by their 

 size the waterscape far more than they embellish 

 it by wonderful habits. It is true they are expert 

 in catching frogs, cray-fish, and even mice ; but, 

 however bright the moonlight, you can see next 

 to nothing of all this. The facts have been 

 reached from dissection more than observation. 

 And what of the " powder-down patches " upon 

 a heron's breast ? The fable that these emit 

 light and illuminate the water sufficiently to 



