208 NATURE AND WOODCRAFT. 



fighting power of the latter the Rooks seem to 

 have been at last convinced ; they abandoned 

 the grove seized upon by their neighbours. 

 And now the Herons, naturally peaceable, live 

 in perfect harmony with their more noisy 

 neighbours. Such is the historic feud of the 

 bird clans at Hern wood. 



To-day the Herons occupy the highest trees 

 in the most elevated part of the wood. These 

 are of three species — ash, elm, and beech. The 

 nests are large cumbersome structures, built of 

 boughs and lined with larch twigs ; the pale- 

 blue eggs rest in a slight depression. When 

 the trees are swayed by the wind the eggs 

 sometimes roll out; and we have frequently 

 seen young herons which have been blown 

 down, stalking among the trees. Now it is not 

 at all unusual to see nests of Rooks and Herons 

 in the same tree. The birds never steal each 

 other's sticks. 



As the Heron has two, occasionally three 

 nests yearly, its breeding-season lasts from 

 early spring to late autumn. Then the young 

 are taken to the marshes and along the chan- 

 nels. They feed upon almost every species of 

 fish and numerous crustaceans. As surely as a 



