390 Mr. H. Saunders on the 



far as I am aware, has never been known to breed in any part of 

 Andalucia, beyond which province it is almost unknown. 



I am not aware of the existence of a single authentic specimen 

 of Balearica pavonina either on the mainland or in the Balearic 

 Islands. Indeed, the only notice of its ever having occurred 

 in the latter is contained in the list of my friend Don Fran- 

 cisco Barcelo y Combis, who, however, assured me personally that 

 no specimen had been obtained within his recollection. The 

 evidence upon which this species has been christened " ba- 

 learica" is as follows : — Don Buenaventura Serra, who died in 

 1784, states, in his work on the Natural History of the Ba- 

 learic Islands, that he has heard it saeW that, in 1780, a speci- 

 men was obtained at Santa Ponsa, which passed into the hands 

 of Don Cristobal Villela. Hardly sufficient for a British jury, 

 yet " confii'mation strong^^ when compared with the evidence 

 on which such species as Circus pallidas, Telephonus tschagra, 

 and Ixos obscurus have been made " plentiful in Andalucia." 



245. Ardea cinerea. " Garza real." 



Abundant in suitable localities, especially in the marshes near 

 Seville, where it breeds. 



246. Ardea purpurea. " Garza moruna ; " in Valencia, 

 "Agro." 



This species is also abundant, breeding a few miles from 

 Seville. It was the only Heron we saw at the Albufera of 

 Valencia, where we found upwards of a dozen nests in a reed- 

 bed on 29th May, some with young birds, and others with 

 eggs in various stages of incubation. The nests were most 

 flimsy structures, being little more than reeds bent down and 

 arranged crosswise, with a few separate pieces added. The 

 complement of eggs in no case exceeded three. The following 

 is a description of the nestling made on the spot : — Skin and 

 feet yellowish green, yellow on abdomen; upper mandible 

 greenish horn-colour, lower mandible yellow; iris pale straw- 

 yellow ; feathers reddish brown ; hairy crest ; shafts of feathers 

 lead-blue ; all edged with white down, whitest on abdomen ; 

 claws horn-white. Cry for food, "kick, kick, kick," harsher 

 when irritated. 



