NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 77 



The Heire, the Heron, Herodias, Ardea vel Ardua, quod alte Heire; 

 volet, becaufe it Hies high, fays J. Klein, Hift. A v. p 122, 

 where he diftinguiQies them into fourteen forts. We (hall only 

 take notice of the Norvegian Heron : it is the large blue Heron, 

 a confiderable Bird, whofe body is like an Eagle's , the neck, bill, 

 and legs like thofe of a Stork, excepting that the feet refemble 

 thofe of a Goofe, and on their heads they have a tuft of feathers : 

 they lay three grey fpotted eggs, of the fize of a Goofe-egg, and 

 fhape of a Moor-hen's : they build their neft in the higheft trees, 

 or in the cracks of the fteepeft rocks : the male and female change 

 turns to fit upon the eggs, which are hatched in three weeks : 

 they do the fame in bringing up the young, in three more ; and 

 then they can feed themfelves. They do not only feek their food 

 in frefli water lakes and marfhes, but alfo along the fea-coafl, 

 where, with their long legs, neck, and bill, they {hew the fame 

 readinefs as the Stork, to catch all crawling and water infefts, that 

 are not larger than what they can fwallow down their narrow 

 throats. The Heron has only one ftrait gut, which diftinguifhes 

 ft from other Birds, Ardea id habet ab omnibus avibus diverfum, 

 quod inteftinum caecum unicum & fimplex obtineant fingulse, cum 

 aliae aves geminum m&x fint, according to J. Klein, L. C, Hence 

 it comes to pafs, that all my correfpondents unanimously affure 

 me that a Heron may eat a Snake or an Eel three times over 

 which is hardly fwallowed before one fees the head or body 

 pafs out again from the Bird's fundament, and then immediately 

 the Bird turns about, and fwallows it a fecond or a third time, 

 before he will relinquifh it. Its long legs are a great help to it 

 to get its provifions : on thefe legs are a very few fine hairs, 

 which play foftly in the water ; and that motion, it is faid, entices 

 the fifh, who are not aware of the devouring beak above. 



TheHeiloe, called alfo Myreloe, becaufe they live chiefly in Heiioe 

 ant-hills, or in broom-fields, differs from the Akerloe (which, on 

 the contrary, feeks the plough'd land) chiefly in fize, which is 

 vifibly fupenor; on the back it is green, and it is variegated 

 under the breaft with black and white fpots : its flefh is delicate* 

 much ike the Thrufh kind : they are Birds of paffaee, and 

 towards the Winter they affemble together in large flocks, and 

 fo fly away. Some are of opinion that they ftay here all the year, 

 hiding themfelves in the high rocks; but this is uncertain. 



The Horfe-Gog, or Rofgauke, fo called perhaps becaufe they Horf e - g o g . 

 live in cracks of rocks, or among great heaps of flones, from 

 whence the ermm animal has the Norvegian name. The Horfe- 

 Gogen is about as large as a Wood-Pigeon ; its note is not at 



Part. II. X aU 



