Ardea. BIRDS. CULTRIROSTRES. 97 



coverts, and the ahdce spuria', dusky-lead colour, with a cinereous dash ; the 

 primaries very slightly tipped with brown ; the secondaries and the greater 

 coverts tipped more deeply with the same, and prettily speckled on the light 

 part ; the tertials correspond with the lower order of scapulars, which have 

 their margins chesnut, with small dusky lines and spots : the tail is short, 

 and in colour similar to the tertials : the wings, when closed, do not reach 

 to the end of the tail : the legs are 3f inches in length, from the heel to the 

 knee : the toes long and slender, the middle one, including the claw (which 

 is fths of an inch in length, and pectinated on the inner side), is as long as the 

 leg ; the claws are not much hooked, hut the hind one most so, and by far the 

 longest ; their colour dusky-brown. The colour of the legs, and bare space 

 above the knee (which last is about an inch), appears to have been greenish." 

 — Montagu. 



6. A. minuta. Little Bittern. — Temm. Orn. ii. 584. — Pennant states, that 

 an individual of this species was shot, as it perched on a tree in the Quany 

 at Shrewsbury, on the banks of the Severn, (Brit. Zool. ii. 633). Another 

 was shot at Sanda, Orkney, 1805, by Mr Strang at Lopness. A third, as 

 stated by Montagu (Supp. Orn. Diet.), was shot contiguous to the river Cre- 

 dey, in Devonshire, in the month of May 1808. 



7. A. wquinoctialis of Latham A. russata of Temminck (Orn. ii. 56G.) — A 



single individual of this species, a female, was killed, according to Montagu 

 (Lin. Trans, ix. 197-), near Kingsbridge, Devonshire, the latter end of Octo- 

 ber 1805. 



8. A. Cayanensis, (Latham). — A single individual of this species was taken 

 near the walls of the town of Yarmouth, 24th May 1824, a notice of which 

 was communicated to the Secretary of the Linnean Society, by Mr J. Youell. 

 — Linn. Trans, xiv. 588. 



9. Grus cinerea. Common Crane — Merret (Pinax, 183.) notices this spe- 

 cies among his English animals, without a remark. Willoughby (Orn. 200.), 

 states, that they frequently visit this country, and that numerous flocks, 

 during summer, haunt the fens of Lincoln and Cambridge, but he had not evi- 

 dence of their breeding there. Ray, however, when referring to the same 

 bird, states their visits as occurring in the winter season, (Syn. A v. 95.). As 

 this bird breeds in more northern regions, its visits here must either be in 

 the course of its polar or equatorial migrations ; i. e. in spring and autumn, 

 or during winter — Lesley (De Origine, Moribus et Rebus gestis Scotorum, 

 p. 25.) speaks of cranes as common ( Grues plurimi ) in Scotland; and Sibbald 

 (Scot. 111.) adds, that they sometimes visit Orkney — In more modem times, 

 the visits of this species have been rare indeed. Pennant mentions a single 

 instance of an individual shot near Cambridge (Brit. Zool. ii. 629.). A small 

 flock appeared, during harvest, in 1807, in Ting wall, Zetland, as I was in- 

 formed by the Rev. John Turnbull, the worthy minister of the parish, who 

 added that thev fed on grain. 



B* 



10. Ckoniaalba. White Stork — Temm. Orn. ii. 560 Merret (Pinax, 181.), 



Willoughby (Orn. 210.), and Ray (Syn. Av. 97-), agree in considering this 

 bird as a rare visitant of this country." Pennant takes no notice of the bird. 

 Montagu mentions (Supp. Orn. Diet.) one killed at Sandwich, Kent, in 1805, 

 and another in Hampshire, in the autumn of 1808. 



11. C. nigra. Black Stork — Temm. Orn. ii. 561. — This bird has onlv 

 occurred once in this country, so as to come under the notice of the na- 

 turalist. It was secured after a slight wound, at Stoke St Gregory, Somer- 

 setshire, 13th May 1814, and, fortunately for science, was conveyed to Mr 

 Montagu. In his possession, its manners, and the progress of its moulting, 

 were carefully observed — Linn. Trans, xii. 19. 



12. Psophia crepitans — A single example of this bird occurred in Surrey. 

 According to the notices communicated by Lord Stanley to Montagu, (Sup'p. 



VOL. I. G 



