IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 79 
The most elegant of this family is the white heron, who wears 
a suit of white, with beautiful, long, silky feathers over his shoulders 
and back. 
Unlucky for him — ladies also are fond of feathers to wear in 
their heads. So he is hunted, and robbed of the beautiful orna- 
ments, while the common grey heron, as he isn't good to eat, and 
has no valuable feathers, is suffered to live in peace, since people 
have found something better to do than hunting him with falcons. 
He builds his nest in the top of a high tree, and a curious 
looking thing it is. It is very large, of course, and roughly made 
of twigs and sticks. But it is safe, and he likes it. 
There's another beautiful white heron, who has a droll way of 
getting his living. He's about as large as a pigeon, and he lives in 
the northern part of Africa. He goes into fields where cattle are 
kept, and catches the flies and other insects that are such torments 
in that hot climate. 
Of course he's very useful, so he is called the ox-keeper. 
All these herons belong to the family of waders, because they 
wade in the water for their food. They all have long legs, almost 
like a pair of stilts, which are just the things for wading, you know. 
