THE EGRET AND HIS HAUNT. 
427 
A very similar nest is constructed by the vulture, between whom 
and the eagle no love appears to be lost, — the two frequently engaging 
in fierce combat, and disputing with each other the possession of some 
hapless victim. So, too, the falcon is content with a heap of dry twigs ; 
and the sparrow-hawk with a "rough-hewn" structure of the branches, 
leafless and lichened, of pine, fir, and birch. On the other hand, 
the wind-hover hawk makes no nest at all, but takes possession of any 
which has been abandoned by its proper owner. The tawny owl seeks 
the hollow of a tree ; but the carrion crow builds a nest of considerable 
firmness and solidity, generally among the branches of the oak, the 
Scotch pine, or the spruce fir. 
THE EGRETS. 
To the Heron family belong the egrets, of which there are four 
or five species, neither very well known nor often found in the 
British Isles. You can tell them from the true herons by their longer 
neck and legs and slenderer body. In truth, they are of decidedly 
more graceful " build " than the heron, and some of them are superior 
in size. 
The black-billed egret rejoices in a snow-white costume, but his feet 
are of flesh-colour, and his bill is black as jet. The little white egret 
is a charming bird, about twenty-four inches long, and therefore one 
of the smallest of his family. Then there is the white egret, sometimes 
called the white heron, which inhabits the south-east of Europe and 
Southern Siberia, and thence extends his rambles into the north of 
Africa and the south of Asia ; appearing very seldom in European 
countries, except in the districts bordering on the Danube and the 
Black Sea. The Ardea alba and the Ardea garzetta are British species. 
His favourite haunts are the lonely silent recesses of wide marshes, 
for he shuns the vicinity of man. His gait and bearing distinguish 
him from the rest of his family, and, on the whole, much to his advan- 
tage. He is taller than the other white herons, and his plumage is of 
dazzling whiteness. The postures he assumes would astonish a pro- 
fessional posture-maker ! He hides his head under his feathers, — his 
head, his neck, and one of his legs, — till you would think his body, 
