The Common Heron. 5 



Family— ARDEJD^. 



The Common Heron. 



Ardea cinerea, LiNN. 



THE Common Heron is an Eastern Hemisphere species, and has a wide 

 distribution throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia, extending to some of the 

 Malayan Islands and to Australia. Its breeding places are rarely found in the 

 Eurasiatic Continent, north of the 55th to the 66th parallel of latitude; but south 

 of that it nests in all suitable localities, and throughout Africa to the Cape. 

 In the autumn large numbers migrate from their northern summer haunts to 

 more southern latitudes. 



The Common Heron is a resident in Britain, and is still common in most 

 parts of the three kingdoms. It has greatly diminished in numbers through 

 persecution on account of its depredations on trout and fish preserves, notwith- 

 standing that it is of service in destroying large numbers of pike and other coarse 

 fresh-water fishes, water-rats, and other vermin. It may be seen wherever there is 

 water : by the sea-shore, near meres, and lakes, in swampy districts, marshes, 

 and flooded fields, and Dr. Scully observed it along the road between Leh and 

 Yarkand, at heights not below ten thousand feet. The Heron is rarely known 

 to swim unless it has dropped into water on being wounded. In very hot weather, 

 however, it has been seen to alight in deep water. 



In the early part of February Herons begin to congregate in colonies, and to 

 tryst in the heronries which they have probably occupied during the breeding 

 season for many years in succession.* Heronries in Britain are now much fewer 

 than in former times, and much smaller also. They are still, however, pretty 

 widely scattered over England, Scotland, and Ireland. Messrs. Harvie-Brown and 

 Buckley mention that although some of the famous heronries in the Moray Basin 

 are deserted, there are instances of small ones which are slowly increasing their 

 numbers, and speak of the hopeful Heron haunts in some of the woods by the 

 banks of the Deveron, possibly the nuclei of future heronries. In the times when 

 falconry was a pastime, the Heron was considered royal game, and its breeding 



Killarney 



* In the Blasket Islands, however, the most westerly inhabited islands of Europe, lying 150 miles west of 

 ney, a solitary pair has been known to breed all by themselves. 



