BEMARKS ON THE GREAT EGRET. 31 



my collection, where it is at this time in perfect preservation. 



This bird being killed in winter, is without the scapular 

 plumes, and in that state which was formerly called the great 

 white heron. But much more recently another specimen, in 

 all the beauty of summer plumage, has been killed, not many 

 miles from the place that produced the above mentioned spe- 

 cimen. Three years ago this bird was seen by a labourer, 

 in the fields of James Hall, Esq., of Scorbro, 1 near Beverley, 

 in the immediate neighbourhood of what used formerly be a 

 decoy, but which modern draining or cultivation has rendered 

 useless. The person who saw it procured a gun and killed 

 it while sitting upon the top of a gate. This specimen has 

 been beautifully preserved by Mr. Read of Doncaster, and is 

 now in the possession of Mr. Hall, who duly appreciates its 

 value. 



We have thus two instances of this bird being recently 

 killed in this country, all the circumstances of which may 

 still be satisfactorily traced, and both of which specimens are 

 in perfect preservation at this time. But these are not the 

 only facts that can be deduced for warranting our continuing 

 this bird in our catalogue. In the beautiful collection of 

 British birds belonging to Mr. Folgambe, of Asberton, there 

 is a specimen of this bird, with a label attached to the case, 

 stating it was killed in the neighbourhood of that place ; — 

 as the country not far from Asberton is very likely to attract 

 such a bird, and as there can be no doubt that that label was 

 placed there by the late proprietor and former of that collec- 

 tion, whose accuracy cannot be disputed, there is no reason 

 to doubt but that this is another well authenticated instance 

 of its having been killed in this country, and in which the 

 specimen itself is still in existence. 



Another example has been mentioned to me, but which I 

 am sorry to say I cannot enumerate amongst the well authen- 

 ticated instances ; indeed so little reliance is to be placed in 

 these matters upon the statements of those who do not accu- 

 rately know the facts, or do not carefully discriminate species, 

 that I should not have mentioned it were it not in the hopes 

 of drawing the attention of some one who may have an op- 

 portunity of investigating the account and removing our 

 doubt upon the subject. The statement is, that a bird of this 

 species was a few years ago seen, and after much trouble 

 procured, in the south east part of Lincolnshire ; a country 

 I may observe, very productive of the wading and water birds 

 — this specimen was stated to have been preserved and pre- 



1 Not Scarborough, which is forty miles from this place. 



