AMERICAN BITTERN. 215 



late Sir William Jarcline towards the end of October, 1844, 

 in Dumfriesshire ; and in the same county another, now in 

 the collection of Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., on the 25th March, 

 1873 (Zool. s.s. p. 4929). Mr. R. Gray states that a female 

 example, now in the Aberdeen University Museum, was shot 

 near the Bridge of Don, in November 1854 ; and in the 

 autumn of 1862 one was killed at Latheron-wheel, Caithness, 

 by Mr. F. S. Bentley Innes. About the year 1861, one, in 

 the collection of Mr. Charles Cowan, of Logan House, was 

 shot in the Pentland Hills (Field, 4th March, 1871). In 

 Islay one was obtained in January 1876 (Zool. s.s. p. 4801). 



In Ireland, the first occurrence is that recorded by Thomp- 

 son, near Armagh, on the 12th November, 1845, and this 

 specimen is now in the Belfast Museum. A female shot on 

 the river Fane, on the borders of Louth and Monaghan, on 

 the 18th November, 1868, and sent to Lord Clermont in the 

 flesh (Zool. s.s. p. 1517), is now in the Museum of Science 

 and Art, Dublin. On the 1st November, 1883, a male was 

 shot near Ballynahiuch, co. Down (' The Field,' 10th Nov. 

 1883). One was obtained near Cahir, co. Tipperary, on the 

 31st October, 1870 (Zool. s.s. p. 2408) ; and Dr. Harvey 

 states that one, shot near Kinsale, co. Cork, on the 25th 

 Noveml-^r, 1875, is in his own collection, and one, obtained 

 early in October of the same year, near Myross Wood, in 

 the west of co. Cork, is in the collection of Mr. H. P. 

 Townsend, of Derry, Boss Carberry (' The Field,' 18th 

 December, 1875). 



An American Bittern was shot in Guernsey on the 27th 

 October, 1870, and recorded by Mr. Cecil Smith, in whose 

 collection it now is ; but up to the present time there is no 

 authentic instance of the occurrence of this species on the 

 Continent of Europe. The greater part of the trade across 

 the North Atlantic is to the British Islands, which are the 

 nearest land, and there can be little doubt that many of 

 these immigrants have received assistance on their passage, 

 by being able to repose on the spars of vessels, especially of 

 steamers, where square-sails are less frequently employed, 

 and a bird might easily remain unobserved and undisturbed 



