THE SHORES. 
DECAY OF CERTAIN SPECIES. 
[ HAVE frequently observed, in my days of sad- 
ness, a being sadder still, which Melancholy might 
have chosen for its symbol: I mean, the Dreamer of 
the Marshes, the meditative bird that, in all seasons, 
standing solitarily before the dull waters, seems, 
along with his image, to plunge in their mirror his 
monotonous thought. 
His noble ebon-black crest, his pearl-gray mantle—this 
semi-royal mourning contrasts with his puny body and 
BS transparent leanness. When flying, the poor heron dis- 
plays but a couple of wings; low as is the elevation to 
which he rises, there is no longer any question of his body—he 
becomes invisible. An animal truly aerial, to bear so light a frame, 
