THE HERON. 
107 
opera-glass with me, so that 1 could see the bird distinctly; 
its head was then thrown hack on its shoulders, and its long 
legs stretched out behind, both the latter being frequently 
called into play for steering the bird on its course ; as a rule, 
only one is used at a time. Sometimes, managing to hide - 
myself and waiting some time, I could see the Hejons coming 
slowly back and settling on, or near, their respective nests, but 
the moment I showed myself away they went. As my visits 
became more frequent many of the birds would remain where 
they were, but even then their actions betrayed their suspicions. 
Not far from the Heronry are two rather extensive 
Rookeries, the tenants of which do not seem to be on good 
terms with their less numerous but more powerful neighbours. 
On April 6tli, 1882, as I was in the Heronry with the game- 
keeper, he told me that a fortnight before some Rooks 
attacked a nest and destroyed the eggs. He pointed out the 
nest as we passed under, and I saw a Heron then sitting on 
it; the egg shells lying underneath bore only too evident 
traces of the spoliation. Another of my notes (Feb. 25, 1888) 
says “ after leaving the Heronry I looked back, and with my 
glass I saw the flock of fourteen Herons approach the wood, 
wheel round, and retire. One bird was apart from the rest, 
being attacked by a Rook or some other bird, but what I 
could not make out on account of the distance.” 
Last year, on the third of April, with an eye to enrich my 
Oological collection, I attempted a raid on a nest, which, 
after a stifAsli climb, I reached; it only contained two eggs 
which were of a beautiful greenish blue colour and about the 
size of a Wild Duck’s. The nest measured about 8 feet in 
diameter and 20 inches thick (my measurements would have 
been more accurate but for my awkward position). It was 
nearly flat, and very compactly built of sticks and small 
branches, and the eggs were reposing on a lining, if such it 
may be called, of very coarse grass and roots. The bird did 
not forsake the nest, for when I was in the Heronry on the 
20th inst. I saw the old bird on the nest. Egg shells were 
lying under the remaining eight nests, and under one of them 
was the corpse of some adventurous young one about a week 
old. On May 1st the keeper told me that his son had five 
eggs out of the nest from which I had taken my eggs. The 
supposition that the Heron makes two holes in its nest for 
the accommodation of its long legs is too well known to be 
erroneous to need a fresh denial here, though it is still 
believed in by some people in the neighbourhood. Many of 
the people don’t seem to know what a Heron is, the local 
name being Crane. 
