THE HERON AS A TABLE-BIRD 109 



silly prejudice which prevented people from eating 

 them. And though they never had one on the 

 table that wasn't tough and dry and fishy -tasted 

 he would still bring them in and argue that they 

 were very good. " We loved," they said, " to see 

 the sheldrakes flying about on the coast, but how 

 we hated to see them brought in to be cooked for 

 dinner ! But he was always very masterful with 

 us and we never dared to go against his wishes." 



One day he brought in a heron, and they were 

 quite startled at the sight of such a huge, lank, 

 grey, loose-feathered creature with such immense 

 legs and such a dreadful beak. But when he said 

 it would be a grand experience for them to eat 

 heron they thought he must be joking, although 

 it was not a common thing for him to say anything 

 in fun. He was a very serious sort of man. Finally 

 they ventured to ask him if he really meant that 

 this upsetting bird was to be eaten ? He was 

 quite indignant : of course it was to be eaten, he 

 said ; did they imagine that he killed birds just 

 for the pleasure of killing them ! He said it would 

 be a grand day for them when they sat down to a 

 heron on the table. Didn't they know that it 

 was one of the most famous birds of the old time 

 — that the heron was regarded as a noble, a royal 

 bird, that it was a great dish at the feast in 

 baronial halls ; and that's how he went on until 

 they were quite ashamed of their ignorance of the 

 old days and humbly promised to cook the bird. 

 Very well, he said, he was going to hang it in the 



