314 THE BIRDS OF KENT 



" On the morning of January 14, 1897, a Mr. Nettling- 

 ham, having occasion to go about some wood which had 

 been cut in Darenth AVood, near Dartford, noticed 

 what he at first thought was a hen Pheasant. Closer 

 observation, however, proved that this was not the case. 

 The bird was sitting with drooping wings, neck and head 

 laid along the back, and with the beak pointed straight 

 upwards. Arming himself with a few stones he ap- 

 proached the bird and knocked it down at once. I saw 

 it alive the same evening, but it died the next morning. 

 This is the second specimen of this species I have seen, 

 and the third I have heard of as occurring in this neigh- 

 bourhood within the last few years." 



Mr. AV. Prentis states that it has been shot on four 

 occasions in the Eainham district. 



Mr. H. Elgar writes " that Mr. Boucher, of Maidstone, 

 has a Bittern which was shot at Aylesford on January 

 14, 1907." 



AMEEICAN BITTEKN. 



Botaurus lentiginosiis (Montagu). Hiippl. to 

 Ornith. Bid. (1813). 



Mr. J. H. Gurney recorded in the Field an American 

 Bittern which he discovered at Canterbury, and the 

 following is culled from the Zoologist, 1866 ; he says : 

 " I saw a stuffed specimen of the North American Bittern 

 in the shop of Mr. Craig, bird-stuffer at Canterbury, who 

 appeared to consider it as only a small example of the 

 common Bittern, and who informed me that it was killed 

 twelve years ago (1854), about 3 miles from the city of 

 Canterbury. As I had no means of testing the accuracy 



