NOTES — ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. I25 



d Mr. J. Bateman's estate, about a quarter of a mile west of Brightlingsea 

 Church. There were forty years ago quite lOO nests, but the felling of the large 

 trees, the shootings of a cantankerous tenant, and the ravages of the rooks, finally 

 lorced the herons to desert the Wood in 1872. Since that date Mr. Bateman has 

 tried to encourage their return for many years fruitlessly, but we are now very 

 glad to hear from him, in a letter dated September 13th, that his meritorious 

 efforts have succeeded as thej' deserved. He writes : " It may interest you to 

 know that in 1892, late in the season, the first pair of herons (for 21 years) bred 

 in the Heronry Wood here, and hatched out four or five young in June. They 

 chose an ash tree to build in. This year (1893) five pairs built at the usual time. 

 Four nests were in one tall old bird-cherry and the fifth in a tall oak ; both close to 

 trees used by rooks. Some twenty young were hatched, and I have now no 

 doubt that they have recovered confidence — never being shot at or bullied — and 

 that they will, as of old, regularly nest at Brightlingsea." We hope that Mr. 

 Bateman's anticipations will be realised and that the Heronry Wood will merit 

 its name in the future as in the past. On the fiat shores of Mersea this 

 suaimer and autumn the sight of herons feeding has been a common and 

 welcome experience with us ; half-a-dozen or so can generally be seen with a 

 glass, on the margins of the retreating tide. — Ed. 



Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) at Brightlingsea.— Although by no 

 means an uncommon bird on the Essex coast, particularl}' near Harwich, it may 

 be worth noting that the " Essex County Standard "' of August I2th records that 

 "while duck shooting up the Brightlingsea Creek the other day, Messrs. Burck- 

 hardt, of Rydal Lodge, Clacton-on-Sea, shot a fine specimen of the Cormorant. 

 It measures from beak to tail 33^ inches, the expanse of wings being four feet, and 

 the weight five pounds. The gullet contained, when shot, several eels about a 

 foot long, some being still alive, while others were pailially digested. This bird 

 is extremely difficult to shoot, owing to the swiftness of its flight and its habit of 

 taking to the water on the least alarm. The last specimen shot in the locality was 

 taken two 3'ears ago at Maldon. It is now in the hands of Mr. Coleman, of 

 Holland Road, Clarton-on-Sea, for preservation." 



Ruff (Machetes pugnax) near Thorrington. — A ruff in poor plumage was 

 killed on August 6th, just over the boundary of Brightlingsea and Thorrington. — 

 John B.A.TEMAN, Brightlingsea Hall, September 13th, 1893. 



Colias edusa, etc., in South Devon. — The editor having informed me that 

 this butterfly, so common last season in Mersea, was not seen there this year, it 

 may be of interest to record by way of comparison that at Budleigh Salterton in 

 South Devon it was the prevailing diurnal lepidopterous insect from about the 

 middle of August, and was still common at the time of my leaving that place on 

 September 14th. The specimens first captured were in a perfect condition as 

 though freshly emerged ; later, of course, they became somewhat worn, but down 

 to the time of leaving a few perfectly fresh specimens were to be seen on the wing, 

 ll appears to me that this observation indicates that the emergence of the butterfly 

 extends over a period of some weeks ; this carries with it the conclusion that the 

 present brood at any rate did not consist of immigrants, but were true natives. 1 

 was informed by a coUec'.or that the species had been seen there in June ; this 

 earlier brood may or may not have consisted of immigrants, it is impossible to 

 form any decisive opinion on the point without farther information. I only saw 



