THE GREAT BLUE HERON. 127 



any other food than that killed by itself. Now and then it strikes at a fish 

 so large and strong as to endanger its own life; and I once saw one on the 

 Florida coast, that, after striking a fish, when standing in the water to the 

 full length of its legs, was dragged along for several yards, now on the sur- 

 face, and again beneath. When, after a severe struggle, the Heron dis- 

 engaged itself, it appeared quite overcome, and stood still near the shore, his 

 head turned from the sea, as if afraid to try another such experiment. The 

 number of fishes, measuring five or six inches, which one of these birds 

 devours in a day, is surprising. Some which I kept on board the Marion 

 would swallow, in the space of half an hour, a bucketful of young mullets; 

 and when fed on the flesh of green turtles, they would eat several pounds at 

 a meal. I have no doubt that, in favourable circumstances, one of them 

 could devour several hundreds of small fishes in a day. A Heron that was 

 caught alive on one of the Florida keys, near Key West, looked so emaciated 

 when it came on board, that I had it killed to discover the cause of its 

 miserable condition. It was an adult female that had bred that spring; her 

 belly was in a state of mortification, and on opening her, we found the head 

 of a fish measuring several inches, which, in an undigested state, had lodged 

 among the entrails of the poor bird. How long it had suffered could only 

 be guessed, but this undoubtedly was the cause of the miserable state in 

 which it was found. 



I took a pair of young Herons of this species to Charleston. They were 

 nearly able to fly when caught, and were standing erect a few yards from 

 the nest, in which lay a putrid one that seemed to have been trampled to 

 death by the rest. They offered little resistance, but grunted with a rough 

 uncouth voice. I had them placed in a large coop, containing four indi- 

 viduals of the Ardea occidentalis, who immediately attacked the new- 

 comers in the most violent manner, so that I was obliged to turn them loose 

 on the deck. I had frequently observed the great antipathy evinced by the 

 majestic white species towards the blue in the wild state, but was surprised 

 to find it equally strong in young birds which had never seen one, and were 

 at that period smaller than the others. All my endeavours to remove their 

 dislike were unavailing, for when placed in a large yard, the White Herons 

 attacked the Blue, and kept them completely under. The latter became 

 much tamer, and were more attached to each other. Whenever a piece of 

 turtle was thrown to them, it was dexterously caught in the air and gobbled 

 up in an instant, and as they became more familiar, they ate bits of biscuit, 

 cheese, and even rhinds of bacon. 



When wounded, the Great Blue Heron immediately prepares for defence, 

 and woe to the man or dog who incautiously comes within reach of its 

 powerful bill, for that instant he is sure to receive a severe wound, and the 



