THE HERON. 
329 
charms. As it stands in the water, intent upon catching prey, 
the drooping feathers of its breast wave gracefully in the breeze, 
and the ripples of the sunlit water are reflected in mimic waves 
upon its grey plumed wings. 
Generally it cares little for exerting itself until towards the 
evening, but then it becomes impatient and restless, and is not 
quieted until it has obtained some food. 
Some anglers have an idea that the Heron is one of the birds 
that ought to be ranked as ‘vermin/ thinking that it destroys 
so many fish, that it ruins an angler’s sport. Consequently, they 
kill the bird whenever they can manage to do so, and flatter 
themselves that they are doing good service in preserving the 
breed of fish. Now/even were the entire diet of the Heron to 
consist of fish, the bird would really do but little harm, because 
it can only take food in shallow water, and is seldom to be seen 
more than a yard or two from the bank. But the diet of the 
! Heron is by no means exclusively of a fishy nature, inasmuch 
as the bird eats plenty of frogs and newts, and will often secure 
a water-rat even when fully grown. It is seldom that fish which 
are of any value to the angler come into water in which the 
Heron could catch them, and even if they did so, their size 
would prevent the bird from taking them. 
At Walton Hall, where the Herons breed largely, and where 
they procure nearly all the food for themselves and young out 
of the lake, there is no lack of fish, as may be practically proved 
by anyone who is permitted to cast a line into the water. I 
am a very poor fisherman, and yet I never found any difficulty 
in taking in the course of the morning quite as many fish as 
could easily be carried home. 
So far indeed is the Heron from injuring the interests of the 
angler, that it is a positive benefactor. Mr. Waterton, who was 
obliged by the continual burrowing of water-rats to drain and 
fill up a series of large ponds, makes the following remarks on 
the bird : — ‘ Had I known then as much as I do now of the 
valuable services of the Heron, and had there been a good 
heronry near the place, I should not have made the change. 
The draining of the ponds did not seem to lessen the number 
