June 26, 1891
England.
(no 7)
Chester - looked keenly about for a moment then bent
down over the young each of whom with upstretched
neck and flapping wing stumps was begging clamorously
for the fish. It was finally dropped or rather
thrust into one of the open mouths when the
uproar at once subsided. The fish would have
weighed at least half-a-pound.
  For several minutes both the old Herons stood
on the nest close together preening their feathers.
The young every now and then would reach up
and [?] the end of the long breast plumes of
their parents tugging at it playfully. Both old
birds frequently inserted their bills in the mouths
of the young which were stretched up to receive
them and thrust them up & down or shook them
sideways with some force. It looked as if
they were feeding them by regurgitation. They
also fondled them prettily with their bills.
Nothing could be more graceful than the
attitudes which these beautiful birds assumed.
Their long slender necks were almost constantly
waving or twisting about, now lengthening now
contracted. The occipital and pectoral plumes
were sometimes raised, sometimes pressed down
out of sight.
  Finally our bird (the one that had brought
the fish) flew off towards the river. We waited
45 minutes but it did not return. The 
other bird remained in the nest all the
time was in sight of it. Other Herons
were frequently passing overhead to & from