roots and feeds of aquatic plants. While they have young 
tliey feem quite devoid of fear, the fportfman nor his dog 
^are not able to make them quit their charge, " but if wounded, 
eye them with keen undaunted looks,'* and when clofely 
prefled, defend themfelves with the greateft vigour to the laft 
extremity, often infli6ling fevere v/ounds with their bill ; they 
aim particularly at the eyes, and if approached fufficiently 
near without their being too much difabled, frequently make 
the conqueft dearly purchafed. 
As the whole of this tribe make the eye the principal obje£t 
of aim when wounded, the following melancholy circumftance 
may ferve to put perfons on their guard, while engaged in the 
purfuit of any of this genus: in the month of January 1811, 
a farmer's man, on going to work in the farm-yard, through 
which ran a fm^all ftream, obferved a common Heron {landing 
on the fide of the water-courfe, furprifed at the unufual tame- 
nefs of the bird, which did not attempt to fly at his approach, 
and, not thinking of the caufe that detained it, (there having 
been a very fevere frofl that morning) he threw a large flick 
at it, which (Iruck the legs immediately above the ice and broke 
them fhort off : overjoyed at his eafy conqueft, he haftened to 
take poffeiTion of his prize, the bird on his near approach drew 
back its head, and when the man ftooped to take it up, darted 
its bill quite through the eye, which it completely deftroyed ; 
the man lingered in the moft excruciating torture but a few 
days, and fell a vi6lim to his own imprudence. 
In the fpring the Bittern may be difcovered by its note at a 
great diftance, which it has erroneoufly been fuppofed to make 
hv 
