HERON. 77 



The circumstance of this species living in societies is, we believe, 

 general ; and so fond are they of company, as to build as many as 

 80 nests on one tree. They generally chusea group of the tallest and 

 most stately ones for the purpose, which are termed Heronries ; 

 several of which may be seen in England, viz. at Penshurst Place, 

 in Kent; at Hutton, the seat of Mr. Bethel, near Beverley, in 

 Yorkshire; in Gobay Park, on the road to Penrith, near a rocky 

 pass, called Yevv-cragg, on the north side of Ulleswater ; and a 

 considerable one at Cressi Hall, six miles from Spalding, in Lin- 

 colnshire ; in addition to which, Colonel Montagu mentions one on 

 a small Island, in a Lake, in the north of Scotland, whereon was 

 only one scrubby oak, which not being sufficient to contain all the 

 nests, many were placed on the ground. These Heronries were in 

 former days so favoured by law, that the killing one of the birds 

 subjected the offender to the forfeiture of twenty shillings, or three 

 months imprisonment, or bound by two sureties in twenty pounds 

 each.* 



Heron Hawking, too, was a favourite diversion with our ances- 

 tors, and no one permitted, without his own ground, to take any 

 Herons, unless with hawking, or long bows, on pain of six shillings 

 and eight-pence;! ana * f° r taking any young out of the nest, ten 

 shillings; J and to take or destroy the eggs, from March 31 to June 

 -30, imprisonment for a year, and to forfeit eight-pence for every 

 egg.§ We are told that in the northern parts, where Eagles frequent, 

 they greatly annoy the Herons, by frightening them from their nests, 

 when the Crows take the opportunity of stealing the eggs. || The 

 whole of this custom of encouragement of the breed of Herons is 

 now subsided, the diversion of hawking being scarcely continued 

 any where ; and their flesh, though rated at a price equal to the 



* 1 James, c. 27. s. 2. f 19 Hen. 7. ch. 11. + Id. ib. 



§ 25 Hen. 8. ch. II. || Tour in Scotland, 1772. p. 40. 



