Birds. 9769 



the hill, and went down near the old spot. I got nearer, without being 

 observed, and was just wondering how to proceed next, the last 

 sheltering patch of weeds having been reached, and the bird still far 

 distant, when the latter, which until then had been walking slowly 

 about with neck retracted and shoulders humped, — exactly in the 

 position chosen by Yarrell for his figure of the heron, — suddenly 

 stretched its neck to the full extent, ran several steps, and then took 

 wing, uttering the same peculiar croaking sound as before. I fired 

 instantly, but seeing that no serious effect was produced, threw myself 

 flat among the long grass, and the bird, changing its course, flew 

 directly over me, and so close that I could distinctly see its eye. Then, 

 while I was reloading, it took a long flight, circling about in various 

 directions, sometimes sweeping close to the ground, as if about to 

 alight, and then rising so high in the air as to be almost out of sight. 

 At length it settled upon the opposite side of the loch, whither I fol- 

 lowed it, and was nearly within shot, when a sheep-dog caught sight 

 of it and drove it up. Then for upwards of three hours I continued 

 the pursuit, the bird keeping an exceedingly sharp look out, sometimes 

 alighting in corn-fields or moist places, occasionally walking about 

 and feeding, but always flying off for half a mile or more as I ap- 

 proached. Then I lost sight of it for nearly an hour, and was far on 

 my way home, when I caught a momentary glimpse of its wings as it 

 went down near the old place. It remained there for a few minutes, 

 and then went off to a field surrounded by a rough wall, two feet high, 

 where it remained feeding so contentedly that I made sure of success 

 at last. Crawling among the stones and long grass I managed to gain 

 a cross-wall, which would have exactly answered my purpose, but, at 

 the very moment when I was passing the only gap, the bird, raising 

 its long neck, caught sight of me, and was off in an instant. Having 

 watched it fairly out of sight, I went home greatly disappointed. 



Next morning, being provided with my own gun, I went again ia 

 pursuit, this time accompanied by my brother-in-law, Mr. Thomas 

 Edmondston, jun. Two riders were seen making for the very spot 

 where we expected to find the bird ; but, after a smart race, we inter- 

 cepted them just in time, and, almost breathless with anxiety and haste, 

 we peeped over the brow of the hill, very cautiously indeed, for the 

 extreme wariness of the bird was by that time well known ; then we 

 rose to our knees, next to our feet, but not a feather was to be seen. 

 We were about to descend the hill, and had already proceeded some 

 steps, when, catching sight of the bird on a level place at the foot of the 

 hill, and about three hundred yards distant from us, we immediately 

 VOL. XXIII. 3 D 



