and some other British Birds. 197 



extended tracts covered with that shrub. If indeed it were 

 necessary to hide itself at night from the Bat, furze is better 

 calculated for that purpose than cabbages ; but I believe there 

 is no species of that genus in Europe sufficiently large to attack 

 even our most diminutive bird, the golden-crested wren, which 

 we may safely conclude has no occasion to hide itself from any 

 European species of Vespertilio. 



Science, unfortunately, is too frequently blended with fiction, 

 occasioned by too large a share of credulity; the detection of 

 such errors is a work of time, and a series of years are often 

 required to correct what, according to the general merit of an 

 author, has more or less been stamped with credit. 



Experience from ocular demonstration has at last been able 

 to collect materials concerning the natural history of Sylvia Pro- 

 vincialis, which serves to evince that M. de BufFon was misled, 

 and that, in fact, little was known of the habits of this elegant 

 little Warbler till the present discoveries. 



BIRDS NEWLY DISCOVERED IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



In this place I shall take the opportunity of recording some 

 birds which, as far as I have been able to discover, have not till 

 recently been found in this kingdom, but now claim a place in 

 the British Fauna. 



Ardea equinoctial is. 



ImL Orn. ii. p. 696. 70. 



Little AVhite Heron. Latham. Syn. v. p. 93. No. 63. 



This bird was killed in Devonshire the latter end of October, 



in the year 1805, and is now in my museum. Upon dissection 



it proved a female. 



Tantalus 



