THE HERON. 117 



Assiduity in providing tor their young. 



relish as they ought." Nevertheless it was for- 

 merly esteemed as a food in England, and made 

 a favourite dish at great tables. It was then said 

 that the flesh of a heron was a dish for a king ; 

 at present nothing about the house will touch it 

 but a cat. 



The herons, therefore, not being considered 

 as worth the trouble of pursuing upon any ac- 

 count whatever, are seldom sought after or dis- 

 turbed in their retreats, which, excepting when 

 in search after prey, are commonly in almost 

 inaccessible heights. Their nests are often found 

 in great numbers in the middle of large forests, 

 and in some groves nearer home, where the own- 

 ers have a predilection for the bird, and do not 

 chuse to drive it from their accustomed habi- 

 tations. It is certain that by their cries, their 

 expansive wings, their hulk, and wavy motion, 

 they add no small variety to the forest, and so- 

 lemnity to the scene. 



When the young are excluded, as they are 

 numerous, voracious, and importunate, the old 

 ones are for ever upon the wing to provide them 

 with sustenance. The quantity of fish they take 

 upon this occasion is amazing, and their size is 

 not less to be wondered at. Of their assiduity in 

 providing for their young, an instance is given 

 of a heron's nest that was built near a school- 

 house, to which some of the boys climbed up, 

 took down the young ones, sewed up the vent, 

 and laid them in the nest as before. The pain. 



