NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Longevity Brown heron. 



the poor little animals felt from the operation in- 

 creased their cries ; and this but served to in- 

 crease the diligence of the old ones in enlarging 

 their supply. Thus they heaped the nest with 

 various sorts of fish and the best of their kind ; 

 and as their young^ screamed they flew off for 

 more. The boys gathered up the fish, which 

 the young ones were incapable of eating, till the 

 old ones at last quitted their nest, and gave up 

 their brood, whose cravings they found it impos- 

 sible to satisfy. 



The heron is said to be a very long-lived bird ; 

 .by Mr. Kepsler's account it may exceed sixty 

 years; and by a recent instance of one that was 

 taken in Holland, by an hawk belonging to the 

 stadtboldev, its longevity is again confirmed, the 

 bird having a silver plate fastened to one leg, 

 with an inscription, importing, that it had been 

 struck by the elector of Cologne's hawks thirty- 

 five years before. 



The brown heron has the upper part of the 

 - head, neck, and back, and also the sides of the 

 wings, of a dark ash-colour; the scapular feathers 

 have generally white tips with a sort of black 

 stroke on each side of the wings, the quill-fea- 

 thers of a more dark colour, very much inclining 

 to black, except the extreme edges, which are 

 white; the breast, neck, and upper part of the 

 belly, are of a pale white, sprinkled with black ; 

 the lower part of the belly darkish ash, and the 

 thighs of a yellowish cast ; the tail is a dark ash, 



