THE HOME LIFE OF THE HERON 125 



fully fledged young herons endeavour to hurry the process of regurgitation. 

 Almost before the bird has time to steady herself, one of them, reaching up to 

 her high-held head, and hterally snatching her beak in his, attempts to drag 

 her head downwards towards the nest. 



As he loosens his hold, another, making a rather wild shot, seizes her head 

 . — ^at about the region of the eyes. — in his beak, and almost topples the patient 

 creature backwards over the edge of the nest in his endeavours to induce her 

 to disgorge. 



There is no waiting now for the beak to be lowered before it is seized by 

 one or other of the young ones. At whatever elevation her head is held, one 

 of them makes a grab, and seizing her somewhere near the base of the beak, 

 hterally forces her head down towards the nest. 



Whether or no the parent bird welcomes this noisy demonstration, as 

 proving that the family is healthy and gaining in strength, it is impossible to 

 say. She certainly seems not to resent this rough behaviour, and in the end — 

 as in the case of the other bird — disgorges a mass of food on to the nest, the 

 various ingredients of which the young herons do not have the least difficulty 

 in swallowing ; unless of coiu-se it shotdd be snatched from the very mouth of 

 one by another, or is seized by two of them at the same moment, when a lively 

 struggle for complete ownership ensues. 



At all events, the food is quickly disposed of. The old heron soon makes 

 her departure, and the young ones, having collected any remains from the floor 

 of the nest, prepare to take Ufe comfortably for a while. The writer has noticed 

 that whilst the young herons are quite small. — and when first hatched they are 

 not naked, but are protected by a shaggy greyish-coloured coat — they are fed 

 frequently throughout the day on digested food which is taken in a semi- 

 liquid state from the tip of the parent heron's beak — and that at this period 

 one or other of the old herons is generally on the nest, either brooding the 

 young or standing by their side. 



But as the family develops the visits of the parents become less frequent, 

 and when they do occm", are of much shorter duration. 



Since, in order to witness the foregoing incidents, a very considerable 

 time has been spent in the observation post, and in spite of frequent changes 

 of position, we have found our branch seat and limited quarters increasingly 

 imcomfortable, we now decide, with cramped muscles and aching back, to 

 return to earth. 



Hanging from the observation post to the ground is a thin hne — and tied 

 to the end of it a collection of tin cans, slates, and branches. — all in readiness 

 to jangle and clang when the observer jerks the string. 



For it perhaps goes without sajdng that suddenly to appear from the 

 observation post when the time for retiring comes round — and when perhaps 

 one, two or three old herons may be on their nests only some 20 feet away — 



