258
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
nesting quarters. The first nest was found in 1861 in Chest Wood,
Layer-de-la-Haye, on one of the tallest oaks. In 1862 there
were three nests and they increased steadily until 1877, in which
year there wbere about one hundred nests. E. A. Fitch states
that the Herons in February, 1878, returned as usual, but the
appearance of a pair of Peregrines caused the Herons to abandon
Chest Wood for nesting purposes. In the same year (1878)
about one hundred nests were built in Calve's Pasture Wood,
which was about eighteen acres in extent and mainly composed
of oak trees. No nest was seen in Chest Wood until 1887 when
one was noticed, but this attempt to recolonize the old site
was abortive. By 1890 the colony in Calve's Pasture Wood had
increased to one hundred and seventy nests. E. A. Fitch, who
visited the colony on 16th April, 1888, stated that all the nests
were in oaks and were lined with nettlestraw. The largest
number counted on one tree was eight nests. Somewhere be-
tween 1890 and 1902 (the actual year is not available) the Herons
returned to their original quarters in Chest Wood, which they
still use. Miller Christy, about 1902, stated that the colony was
maintaining its strength, but since that time there has been
a very remarkable decrease, for when I visited it in 1928 there
were no more than nineteen nests in use. The nests were built
in oaks.
The heronry at Boreham was probably founded between 1860
and 1870, but no evidence of its origin exists. The colony
was first situated in the avenue trees immediately behind Bore-
ham House, but about 1881 the colony was reduced to a single
nest and the old bird was shot while sitting. In 1884 the Herons
took up their position in West Mead Grove, which was planted
as an apple orchard in 1842 and subsequently with oak, spruce
and a few other trees including some Scotch pines. The Grove
is about four hundred yards from the Chelmer. In 1886 there
were nine nests in this wood and six in 1889. By 1897 the
number had increased to twenty and in 1901 to twenty-four.
Until about this time the Herons appear to have been con-
siderably persecuted. It is stated that thirty young birds
were destroyed in one day in 1886 and that ten eggs were taken
from six nests in 1889. C. Smoothy took a nest with seven eggs
in 1897 and saw fifteen adults which had been shot off their nests.
Mr. Mothersole counted fifty-two nests in 1922, since which year