HERON, 
193 
removed to Wood Fidley, and subsequently to Denny, and 
finally to Vinney Ridge. In 1861, fifty pairs, at least, 
must have built in its tall beeches. On a fine early spring 
morning, a long grey line of them would perch on the 
neighbouring green of Dame Slough, picking up the twigs 
of heather and flying off with them to line their great 
platforms of nests ; and then sailing down to the Black- 
water stream, in the " bottom " close by, to fish. In the 
morning and evening, and, in fact, all through the day, one 
incessant clamour was going on, and under the trees lay 
great eels, which had fallen from their nests. Last year 
the numbers were greatly decreased, the birds having been, 
perhaps, driven away by the woodcutters and charcoal- 
burners employed to cut down the surrounding timber. 
.... A small colony has, too, established itself at Boldre- 
wood." 
In 1904 the Vinney Ridge heronry comprised only 
seven nests, one being in an oak tree, the others in huge 
beeches, one tree having three nests in it. Of these nests 
only four or five were occupied, and from two of them the 
birds refused to be disturbed, but from the others they 
hurriedly flew off. 
SOWLEY POND. 
An increasing number are now nesting in Scotch firs, 
on the edge of Sowley Pond, in two separate colonies. 
We visited this heronry on a brilliant April afternoon. 
In the wood there was no sound but the rushing of a strong 
westerly breeze through the tops of the Scotch firs, and the 
bright sunlight was streaming between their bare trunks 
and among the grey stems of the neighbouring oaks, and 
spreading over the sparse herbage on the ground beneath ; 
glimpses of the distance beyond showed dancing, glittering 
