. Birds and their ways; . CHAPTER XIX. LONG-LEGGED GENTRY: THE HERON WHAT do you think, said MissHarson to her little pupils, ofcalling a family of birds by such a strangename as stalkers ? When you look,though, at their legs and their generalappearance, you will not be surprised atthis. They seem as though they werewalking on stilts, as they all have verylong legs, with which they wade far intothe water, where they will .stand for hourson the watch for prey. Here is a pictureof two herons; they are classed as thehead of this tribe. The one in the wateris a white heron, or egret; the other is
. Birds and their ways; . CHAPTER XIX. LONG-LEGGED GENTRY: THE HERON WHAT do you think, said MissHarson to her little pupils, ofcalling a family of birds by such a strangename as stalkers ? When you look,though, at their legs and their generalappearance, you will not be surprised atthis. They seem as though they werewalking on stilts, as they all have verylong legs, with which they wade far intothe water, where they will .stand for hourson the watch for prey. Here is a pictureof two herons; they are classed as thehead of this tribe. The one in the wateris a white heron, or egret; the other is thecommon heron. uThe common heron is an awkward -looking bird with a large head and billset upon a snaky neck, that, with the high- 230 THE HERON. 231 humped back, forms a curve like the figure8. The long legs are set far back in the. COMMON HERON AND EGRET, OR WHITE HERON. body, the feet and claws are large, and thetail is very short. The prevailing color ofthe plumage is gray, at parts deepeninginto dark slate-color and bluish-black orfading off into white/ 232 BIRDS AND THEIR WAYS. Herons, although great eaters, are al-ways thin. They live chiefly upon fishand other dwellers in the water, like allwading birds, but it is only in fine weatherthat they can get a plentiful supply. Incold or stormy weather the fish that beforecame into shallow water keep in the deep,as they find it to be the warmest. Frogsand lizards also seldom venture from theirlurking-places, and the heron is obliged tosupport himself upon patience, and evento take up the weeds that grow in thewater. At those times he contracts a con-sumptive disposition, which succeeding plen-ty is not able to remove ; so that the meagreglutton spends his time between want andriot. Hence, notwithstanding the care withwhich he takes his prey and the amazingquantit
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1883
