Page:Cassell's book of birds (IA cassellsbookofbi04breh).pdf/95

 GROUP OF HERONS.

precious stones, set in the form of Heron's plumes, adorn the dhul bandt of the Persian monarch. The members of this group are met with in most parts of the globe, migrating according to the change of seasons, or when their supply of food falls short. Swamps, shallow rivers, and pools are their favourite haunts, and in these they quietly stand, with their necks drawn down between their shoulders, watching the approach of a fish, upon which they suddenly dart, and seizing it in the beak, swallow it in an instant. They also consume small quadrupeds, frogs, and a variety of insects. Some species