lU 
ARDEIDiE. 
the face of a high hill at the opposite side of the highway from the 
house. A public road runs at the base of this hill ; but from it the 
herons are unseen. They are not_, however^ driven thither merely 
by the tide having covered their feeding banks, as I observed a 
few there at all times of ebb and flow. One evening, twelve rose 
from a group of three pines, whose foliage intermingled; eight 
being on one tree, and on the side opposite to the sea. Dining 
fine moonlight — sometimes at midnight — their loud hoarse call, 
when on wing, denoted their flying thence to the bay. 
Others, on the Antrim side, betake themselves singly, or often 
in little parties of three or four, to the demesnes bordering the 
estuary; until, in some favourite spot, from twenty to perhaps 
fifty are congregated together. Here they remain, in the centre 
of large pasture-fields or meadows, out of the reach of gun-shot 
from any fences, until the tide has sufficiently ebbed ; and then 
usually retrmi, not as they went, but in large parties, sometimes 
en masse, to the bay. A ffock of these gigantic birds appears very 
beautiful when coming silently in view over the banks of fine 
lofty trees at Parkmount, as I have seen about twenty do in a 
compact body ; and not only continue thus in flight, but alight 
together on the beach. A few notes may be given at full length. 
JVov. 14, 1847. — I was much pleased to-day by observing 
flocks of herons, cmiews, and lapwings (about forty individuals 
in each — of herons I reckoned forty-two) awaiting the falling of 
the tide in a large ploughed field at Parkmount, from which 
the sea is not visible. The flocks kept separate, and were sta- 
tioned about the middle of the field, so as to be out of shot from 
the fences. The herons (of which there were beautiful adult as 
well as young birds), from their colours finely contrasting with the 
rich brown hue of the upturned soil, appeared to great advan- 
tage. They were mostly at rest, with the necks drawn in, and 
the plumage puffed out so, as to be apparently of huge bulk. 
All the cuidews had their heads tmmed the same way, just as they 
appear when awaiting the falling tide on a marine rock ; occa- 
sionally they gave utterance to their low guttural cry. Nearly 
the whole of the birds of the three species were perfectly quiescent. 
