THE HERON 
of a frog, but then a frog's descent to 
digestion is, so to speak, self-lubricated ; it is 
otherwise with down and claws, and this was 
a well-grown chick. The heron regretted 
that meal many times during the next half- 
hour indeed once or twice it was doubtful 
whether he would ever eat another. But the 
difficulty gradually disappeared and left him 
pensive, and exhausted with the exertion of 
admitting something which, if it did not bear 
quite the same proportion to his gullet that a 
camel does to a needle's eye, was nevertheless 
many sizes too large for the passage, and 
interfered very seriously with his breathing 
sometimes. 
But ultimately, very content, he went to 
sleep, back to wind, to the lullaby of the 
snipes' bleating overhead. Under the swish 
of the wind the rushes bowed their homage. 
For the Corr iasc is King of the Bog, and 
that night he came to his own. 
Ill 
Now the summer doings of the Corr iasc 
concern us not overmuch, for the days are 
long and pleasant, with abundance of sunshine, 
and good feeding among the bush grass in the 
bog, or in the woodland streams of Ballongarry, 
221 
