Summary
Chapter 1
Far to the north, in the middle of the cold sea, “on a lonely island lies a kingdom, immersed almost all year round in cold twilight and fog.” The winter here was long and the summer very short, and the locals learned to appreciate the slightest manifestation of life in nature.
With the onset of the first warm spring days, “the king organized a magnificent folk festival,” which, according to the old tradition, was attended by overseas princes. The king was very kind and wise, and everyone wanted to learn from his valuable life experience.
The king had a daughter, the beautiful Isolde. Her father taught her kindness and never tired of reminding her that “true happiness lies only in mercy.”
At one of the holidays, Isolde met Prince Sagir and agreed to become his wife. The prince returned to his homeland, and the princess began to prepare for the upcoming wedding. She ordered the tailor “a white dress - like snow, a gray cloak - like the sea,” as well as “a headdress of thin arrows - like frost patterns, and so that they sparkle and sparkle like snowflakes in the moonlight.” There were no problems with sewing the dress and cloak, but the tailor did not know how to create such an unusual headdress.
The situation was saved by an ancient old man who traveled a lot around the world. He told the princess that far in the south there live white herons, which every spring grow “a white crest on their head, tall and lush, with delicate, wonderful fibers, thin as a spider’s web.” If this crest is decorated with precious stones, then you will get the headdress that Princess Isolde so dreamed of.
The old man admitted that to get the coveted crest, you need “just one heron... to kill.” The princess was very upset and did not sleep all night - she was very sorry to kill the beautiful bird, but the desire to shine at the wedding won. In the morning she told the old man to hit the road to get his tuft.
Spring has come, the whole kingdom was preparing for a hitherto unprecedented holiday. And only the princess remained thoughtful - she “had long regretted that she had succumbed to a momentary temptation” and agreed to kill the white heron.
Prince Sagir arrived with his retinue, all the guests gathered and the wedding day was set. The day before, an old man appeared with an amazingly beautiful headdress. He told the princess that he had entrusted the work to the most famous jeweler, and many asked him where he got such beautiful feathers.
On the wedding day, Princess Isolde amazed everyone with her beauty - “she was beautiful and young, like the spring that reigned around.” After a magnificent wedding, Prince Sagir “took Isolde from her native island far to the south, to his kingdom.”
Chapter 2
Several years have passed since then. Princess Isolde was happy: she lived in a warm country, on the shores of the azure sea, surrounded by flowering trees. However, she still missed her homeland and one day decided to visit her father and her beloved island in the middle of the harsh sea.
Once, while falling asleep, she remembered all the events on the eve of her wedding: the desire to have a beautiful headdress, and the cruel old man who seduced her into committing a crime. Princess Isolde fell asleep and in her dream saw two beautiful white birds with tufts on their heads. These were the last surviving herons. They told the princess their sad story. All their brothers were mercilessly destroyed for the sake of beautiful crests. The unfortunate birds “sought salvation everywhere, but every spring there were more and more hunters.” As a result, the valley in which the white herons lived and raised their chicks was filled with the corpses of beautiful birds.
In the morning, Princess Isolde “told her father about her terrible dream and repented of her evil deed.” The good king was saddened by his daughter's terrible act. He said that after her wedding, thousands of white herons were destroyed, but he could not do anything about this outrage.
In tears, the princess vowed never to harm anyone again. But the king replied that “this is not enough. It’s not enough not to do evil: you need to do good.” The princess remembered this lesson and, when she returned to her husband, began to help the common people, “forgetting herself and all her pleasures.” Princess Isolde believed that “all people should be happy, and everything in the world should be good.”
great egret
Egretta alba (Linnaeus, 1758)
Category and status.
Category 3. Rare, sporadically distributed, probably nesting species on the border of its range.
Short description.
A large heron with a length of 95-105 cm, a weight of 900-1500 g and a wingspan of 1.5-1.7 m. The plumage is entirely white. The color of the beak, paws and bare facial areas depends on age and time of year. There is no sexual dimorphism. During the mating season, long openwork aigrette develops on the back. A cautious, predominantly diurnal bird. The voice is rarely heard and when alarmed, it resembles a dry crackling sound.
Spreading.
With a broad interpretation of the species, its range occupies South, Central and southern North America, Africa, southern regions of Europe, the southern half of Asia, Australia and New Zealand (1). Recent evidence suggests that birds breeding from South Asia to Australia should be classified as a distinct species, the southern (or eastern) egret (2, 3). In the Amur region, birds were found in the Khingan Nature Reserve (4), on the river. Zeya near the village Natalino (5, 6), in the Norsky Nature Reserve (7), in the vicinity of the villages of Poyarkovo, Krasnoye and Grodekovo (8), on the rivers Urmi and Bira (9). It has been suggested that the species nests here (8, 10). Evidence of breeding here has not yet been obtained, but nesting is quite possible, since recently on the river. Cupid's nests were discovered in the Jewish Autonomous Region (11) and in the Khabarovsk Territory (12).
Habitats and biology.
It is found in a wide variety of wetland types, from coasts and shallow waters of various bodies of water to wet meadows and swamps. In different areas of the river basin. Amur settles in colonies, both monospecific and together with other species of herons. Nests are placed on large bushes or on reed creases. A full clutch contains 3 to 6 slightly bluish eggs. Incubation lasts about 25 days, and feeding the chicks about 50 days. Biology in the conditions of the Amur region has not been studied at all.
Number, limiting factors and threats.
There is no specific data on the number in the Amur region. For a long time, the great white egret was considered a very rare bird here (13), but recently its occurrence and numbers, both on migration and in summer, have a clear upward trend (4, 8). No limiting factors have been identified. Judging by observations in the Primorsky Territory, birds in colonies are sensitive to disturbance, and the birds themselves are shot by poachers (14).
Security measures taken and required.
It is included in the Red Books of the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Okrug, as well as in the Annexes of bilateral agreements on the protection of migratory birds concluded by Russia with Japan, India, the DPRK and the Republic of Korea. No special security measures were taken. It is necessary to search for possible colonies and then give their locations the status of specially protected natural areas.
Information sources.
1. Stepanyan, 2003; 2. Glushchenko et al., 2003; 3. Koblik et al., 2006; 4. Antonov, Parilov, 2009; 5. Smirensky, Boehme, 1974; 6. Smirensky, 1986; 7. Data from S.P. Senchishina; 8. Data from V.A. Dugintsova; 9. Dugintsov, Pankin, 1993 a; 10. Kalinichenko, 1961; 11. Antonov, 1999; 12. Roslyakov, 2000; 13. Barancheev, 1955 b; 14. Data from Yu.N. Glushchenko. Compiled by Yu.N. Glushchenko.
AOF | 05/27/2015 19:57:57
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White Heron - Teleshov Nikolay Dmitrievich
Teleshov Nikolay Dmitrievich
white heron
Nikolay Dmitrievich Teleshov
white heron
I
Far in the north, among the icy sea, on a lonely island lies a kingdom, immersed almost all year round in cold twilight and fog. The winter here was long and the summer short. The wild rocks were only briefly covered with gray mosses, and then they were again covered with snow.
There was little greenery and flowers here, but the people who lived in the kingdom loved their homeland, their harsh sea, loved and appreciated all life, every blade of grass, and the pale flowers of their fields pleased them more than the luxurious flower beds of the spoiled inhabitants of the south. Therefore, when spring came and the sun gently warmed the earth, the king organized a magnificent folk festival, for which everyone had been preparing since the fall and for which they had been looking forward to the whole long winter.
Foreign princes usually came to visit for this holiday. Everyone loved the old king for his intelligence and rare kindness; everyone wanted to learn from him how to care for people who, despite the cold and long winter, lived easily and well in the kingdom.
The king had a beautiful daughter, Princess Isolde. As kind as her father, she always helped the sick and unfortunate, and the king approved of these aspirations in her. He told her that true happiness lies only in mercy, and if we are cruel, then our happiness will change our own.
The cheerful summer flew by quickly... The cold sea became gloomy and deserted. Gray, like steel, it sways heavily under the pressure of the icy wind; it will rage, roar and calm down again, then grind the floating ice, then howl, then suddenly fall silent. But whether it rages or is silent, there is no faith in it: it is equally harsh and inhospitable. The sun no longer peeks through the gray clouds, heavy fogs are creeping over the bare rocks again... Everything fell silent. A long, tedious winter has arrived.
Every day, Princess Isolde, lost in thought, went to the window of the palace, to that high, large window from which the frozen, snow-covered shore was visible, and behind it, as a distant gray stripe, the sea could be seen, merging with the sky, just as gray and inhospitable.
Isolde stood here for a long time, remembering the recent summer. Where are the flowers that she wove into her hair? Where are the fresh greenery, clear, warm nights, cheerful songs?.. Winter took everything away. Nothing left.
-What are you sad about, my dear daughter? - the king asked, seeing Isolde sad and thoughtful near the window. - Why are you still looking at the sea?
“Our sea is fierce,” answered Isolde. “It has swallowed up many ships, and I fear for those who leave us late.” I fear for Prince Sagir.
“Don’t be afraid, my child,” the king gently reassured. “Prince Sagir has already passed the danger. He is now sailing on his ship, approaching his homeland. Oh, how beautiful his homeland is, if you only knew!
And the king began to talk about the delights of the southern sea, about the homeland of Prince Sagir - and thereby dispersed Isolde’s sad thoughts.
- It won't be long now. Winter will pass, the spring holiday will come, and Prince Sagir will return to us. He will bring you everything that his homeland is rich in: fruits, stones, and metals, and we will celebrate your wedding in such a way that not a single creature in my kingdom forgets this day: mercy to all, young and old!
One day, when it was a frosty, moonlit night, Isolde went to the window to admire the snowy desert. The night was so clear that everything was visible as if it were day, and the frost was so strong that the glass was covered with a delicate and subtle pattern, like the thinnest branches, like stars and arrows.
Isolde fell in love.
“On my wedding day,” she thought cheerfully, “I will put on an outfit the same as my dear homeland: a white dress - like snow, a gray cloak - like the sea, and on my head I will put on a headdress of thin arrows - like frost patterns, and so that they sparkled and sparkled like snowflakes in the moonlight!”
The next day, Isolde ordered the wedding outfit to be prepared. The court seamstress undertook to make a dress that looked like snow; the master undertook to prepare a cloak of steel color - the color of the sea; but no one knew how to make a headdress that would look like arrows of frost.
They sent messengers throughout the kingdom, promising a reward to the one who performed this dress, but no one showed up. No one could invent such a dress.
Finally, an old man who had traveled around the world for a long time came to Isolde and said that he could do the cleaning, but it would take a lot of time.
“Far in the south, on the banks of a large river,” the old man said, “white herons live.” There are a lot of them in that region, because no one kills them, since their meat is not suitable for food, and they live freely. Every spring, a white crest grows on their heads, tall and lush, with delicate, wonderful fibers, thin as a spider’s web. Spring will soon come to this country. You need to hurry, and if you go there now, you’ll just find spring...
- So go! - Isolde exclaimed, looking at the old man with eyes aflame with delight.
“And if you take out the tuft and attach small diamonds to it, you will get exactly what the princess dreams of.” Our spring will not come soon. During this time, you can go and return in time for your wedding.
- But how to get a crest? - asked Isolde, joyful and radiant.
“For this you need,” answered the old man, mysteriously leaning towards the princess, just one heron... to kill.
- Kill?..
The princess lowered her hands and sadly shook her head.
“No,” she quietly objected, “I don’t need such an outfit.”
The old man bowed and left.
Isolde couldn’t sleep all night. She knew how upset her father would be if she agreed. But how beautiful and brilliant this dress must be!..
“White herons...” thought Isolde, remembering the old man’s words. “Their meat is not suitable for food... no one kills them... There are many of them...”
And if you take out the tuft and attach diamonds to it, then it will be exactly what she dreams of...
And she imagined the future spring, Prince Sagir, a snow-white dress with a gray cloak and sparks of frosty fibers...
“Only one...” Isolde continued to think, “only one to kill...”
And little by little, killing one bird, albeit for the sake of a whim, began to seem to her not such a terrible thing as at first: after all, the bird would die anyway - a little earlier or a little later... But how beautiful her wedding dress would be! How pleased Prince Sagir will be. How charming Isolde herself will be in this outfit!
So the princess thought, becoming more and more tempted by the thought of dress. She struggled with this issue for a long time and finally decided. The next morning she called the old man and ordered him to get ready for the journey.
Spring was already approaching.
The whole country was preparing for a holiday, this time unprecedented. The king lavished favors in honor of his daughter-bride, and everyone was joyful; only Isolde alone remained thoughtful and sad.
She had long since repented, long since regretted that she had succumbed to momentary temptation. But nothing could be done, and she tried to think less about it.
The spring grass turned green, the sea rustled cheerfully, the princes began to arrive, but the old man still did not return. Isolde was even glad about this and, looking at her wedding attire, began to think of something to replace the headdress with.
Prince Sagir arrived with a brilliant retinue and expensive gifts. The day of the wedding and the national holiday had already been appointed, and everything was ready for the great celebration.
The evening before, a ship from distant countries arrived in the harbor, and after a while the old man appeared at the palace. Bowing to the princess, he silently handed her the gilded box. Isolde opened it and screamed in amazement and delight.
On the dark velvet bottom of the box lay the thinnest white twigs spread out like a fan, soft as fluff and white as snow, and among them barely visible diamonds sparkled and sparkled. It was impossible to imagine a better semblance of a frosty pattern. This was the very thing that Isolde could only dream of.
