THE HEEON. 
141 
witnessed."^ I once saw a heron seize a small flat-fish, and beat it 
about much longer than seemed necessary merely to deprive it of 
life, as if annoyed at the poor victim, for presuming to be too 
inconveniently broad to go down its captor^ s sesophagus. 
Heron as Food. — Mr. E. Davis, of Clonmel, observes, Herons 
when young are excellent eating. By cutting off the wings, 
tarsi, and head, and making them into wild-geese, I have had them 
cooked us such, and an excellent dish they make, in my estima- 
tion, fully equal to grouse ; but if not disguised it is hard to have 
justice done them ; so great is the prejudice against eating such 
unchristian birds.” It has also been remarked to me by a friend, 
that once when dining at Bogay (Donegal), a young heron was 
served up roasted at table, and proved excellent, the flavour 
resembling that of hare, as the dark colour of the flesh hkewise 
did. It was not in the least fishy. Another friend, who has eaten 
of herons in the south of Ireland, remarks, that they are very 
variable, occasionally good, but ofteiier not so."’^ They are some- 
times buried in the earth for several days, with the object of re- 
moving the fishy taste. 
Herom'ies, 
With respect to heronries, it maybe stated, that about two miles from 
Belfast there is a small one at Belvoir Park ; a second, ten miles dis- 
tant, at Hillsborough Park, where about fifty pairs of birds annually 
build ; a third, about twenty miles off, at Seaforde ; there are also some 
nests at Killileagh Castle, — localities in the county of Down. In 
Antrim, Shanes-Castle Park is a breeding haunt ; and there is a smaU 
heronry on the island in a lake at Lissanoure Castle. At Banada, on a 
branch of the river Moy {Sligo) there is said to be one. At Westport 
* A gentleman once stated positively to me that he had seen a heron, when 
flying near the Long Bridge, Belfast, swallow an eel three times, which as often 
passed through its body, and was again captiwed before reaching the water. Even- 
tually the bird bore off its victim, and, by beating against a stone, killed it. The 
belief is common that an eel wiU thus several times pass through the stomach and in- 
testines of the heron, by which it is picked up again and swallowed. But is not tins, 
in every instance, an optical deception arising from the eel, when all but swallowed, 
escaping and falling from the bird in such a manner as to lead persons to believe that 
it has passed through its body. Its doing so may, indeed, be regarded as an impos- 
sibility. 
