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consumed by the last-named species, it lives principally on fish, and is 

 an adept in the art of catching this kind of prey. (Compare the heron 

 and the kingfisher.) Hence it takes up its abode in districts well supplied 

 with pieces of clear (why ?) water well stocked with fish. In company 

 with many others of its species (heronries), the bird constructs a rough 

 nest (in which the young abide for some time after birth) in the trunks 

 of high forest-trees. When engaged in fishing, the bird may be seen 

 standing motionless " like a statue " in shallow water close by the bank, 

 or slowly and noiselessly striding about in the water. (Why ?) The 

 feet are constructed on the same plan as those of the stork. The claw of 

 the middle toe is dentated at its inner edge, and is used like a comb for 

 cleaning and arranging the feathers. Its plumage, which is white below 

 and bluish-grey above, renders it not easily distinguishable either by the 

 fish which form its prey or by birds of prey circling above it. (Compare 

 with the common frog and the carp.) The feathers at the back of the 

 head and the lower part of the neck are elongated. On espying a fish 

 (very sharp eyes), the bird seizes it with its long, laterally-compressed 

 beak, which is darted forward with lighting-like rapidity by the long 

 recurved neck. The sharp cutting edges of the beak, which are in 

 addition finely dentated towards the tip, render escape impossible, 

 however slippery the fish may be. The food is conveyed into the wide 

 throat by the head, which is extended forwards in the operation. (Why ?) 

 The nostrils can be closed by a membrane. (Why ?) In the autumn 

 the heron migrates to the South. (Why?) It flies in the same manner 

 as the stork, but with its neck drawn up against the body. It is an 

 extremely voracious bird, very cunning and cautious, and therefore 

 deservedly the object of incessant persecution. 



The Bittern {Botaurus stellaris) is a closely related species. It lives 

 among reeds, where its inconspicuous plumage (yellowish, with many 

 black spots and streaks) makes it difficult to distinguish. On the 

 approach of any danger the bird assumes a most peculiar protective 

 attitude : it squats down on its heels, erects its head and beak, and by 

 depressing its feathers close against the body acquires so thin a shape as 

 to look more like a stake or a bundle of dry reeds than a living bird. At 

 the beginning of the pairing season the male gives utterance to a 

 peculiar sound resembling the lowing of cattle, and audible for a 

 considerable distance. 



At one time the bittern was a native of England ; but the draining of 

 the fens and swamps, and the progress of cultivation, have caused it to 

 become extinct. Occasional specimens visit this country in winter and 

 spring. 



