58 BRITISH BIRDS. 



writer is again someAAhat at fault, stating that that author 

 inchided in his Appendix of rare visitors to Britain " the 

 Crossbill, and even Brambling." instead of the Crossbill and 

 '* Greater Brambling or Snowbird, Emheriza nivalis,'''' as it 

 is in the original. Mr. Stubbs now quotes from Willughby's 

 Ornithology, edited by Ray (1678, p. 279), as follows : "The 

 Great White Heron, Ardea alba major. This differs from the 

 Common Heron : (1) In magnitude, as being lesser than that ; 

 (2) in the length of its tail ; (3) in that it wants a crest. A 

 certain Englishman (saith Aldrovand) affirmed that he had 

 seen white Herons, though rarely, which neither in bigness of 

 body nor shape differed at all from the Common Heron, but 

 only in colour. I suspect this Relator, Avhoever he was, was 

 mistaken, accounting the bird in this article described by us 

 not to differ from the common Heionshaw, but only in colour. 

 For Mr. Jolmson, who hath seen the White Heron in England, 

 puts it down for a distinct kind in his Method of Birds com- 

 municated to us." Mr. Stubbs remarks : " This correspon- 

 dent of Aldrovand was, as we now know, William Turner." 

 It would be interesting to learn on what authority Turner is 

 termed a correspondent of Aldrovand. A friend and constant 

 correspondent of Conrad Gesner (1516-1561), Turner certainly 

 was, and in Gesner's Historia Animalimn, 1555, the remarks 

 of Turner as to White Herons are quoted verbatim, preceded 

 by " Inquit Tui'nerus." Aldrovand, who plagiarised freely 

 from Gesner, whom he quoted as " Ornithologus," has here 

 followed his usual method, and, taking the reference from 

 Gesner, to which Willughby refers, ascribes it to " Quidam 

 Anglus." As we have seen, so far the sole authority for the 

 existence of a white Heron in England, other than an albino 

 of the common species, rests on the communication of Mr. 

 Johnson to Ray. It is somewhat curious that this Egret, if it 

 existed, should have been unknown to Ray and Willughby, 

 and Mr. Stubbs proceeds to point out, therefore, " that this 

 is a matter of little importance for he [Willughby] can only 

 speak of the Crane from heai'say ; yet the abundance of this 

 species in England in former times is beyond question." 

 Willughby, far from speaking of the Crane only from hearsay, 

 tells us (p. 25 of the Ornithology), that this bird " was common 

 in the Fens of Lincolnshire, and in Cambridgeshire," and on 

 p. 274 of the same work : " They come often to us in England : 

 and in the Fen-countries in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire 

 there are great flocks of them," and goes on to say, " but 

 whether or no they breed in England I cannot certainly 

 determine either of my own knowledge, or from the relation 

 of any credible person." 



