NOTES. 157 



ground, or perched on some low busli in a tiny islet in the middle 

 of a secluded lough; and, as pointed out by Dr. Ticehurst, 

 several pairs nest in the extensive reed beds of the Naarder 

 Meer, in North Holland, where large colonies of the Purple 

 Heron also breed in low sallow bushes, or among the dead reeds. 

 Nests on the ground have also been recorded from Scotland. 

 Mr. W. E. Bertram found one of this kind on an island in a 

 loch in Lanark {Field, October 15th, 1904, p. 691) ; at Inverlussa, 

 Jura, the gamekeeper reported nests on the ground on a high 

 bank near the house (Vert. Fauna of Argyll and Inn. Hebrides, 

 p. 117) ; and probably a long list could be compiled of cases in 

 which nests have been found on low trees or bushes in islands, 

 and also on rocky promontories. In England such cases are, 

 however, very rare ; but at least two instances furnish almost 

 exact parallels to that recorded by Dr. Ticehurst, In the Fame 

 Islands the Heron has been known to breed on the low, rocky 

 coast of the Wide Opens on more than one occasion. Mr. J. C. 

 Mansel-Pleydell,in his book on the "Birds of Dorsetshire," j). 129, 

 writes as follows : — " In the summer of 1876 a pair built their 

 nest at Littlesea, on the top of some reeds, not more than four 

 feet from the ground : the only chick which was hatched tumbled 

 out of its ark and was drowned." Until recently a Heronry 

 existed in some tall Scotch firs close to Aqualate Mere, iii 

 Staffordshire ; but, curiously enough, several pairs reverted to 

 their pi'imitive habit, and nested with tolerable i-egularity up to 

 about 1893 or 1894, in the dense reed beds by the waterside. 

 About the latter year the gamekeeper found two or three nests, 

 one of which contained five eggs, among the reeds. A year or 

 two afterwards, Sir Thomas Boughey gave oi'ders for the birds 

 to be killed off on account of the injury done by them to the 

 fishing, and, when I visited the mere in 1902, I found them 

 reduced to two pairs, which were very shy. Whether they have 

 recovered in numbers under the protection now (nominally) 

 accorded to them by the Staffordshire County Council I am 

 unal)le to state. Francis C. R. Jourdain. 



NESTING HABITS OF GREAT WHITE HERON AND 

 COMMON HERON. 

 Mr. F. C. Selous, writing of the Great White Heron (Ardea 

 alba) says "it is, however, I think, quite possible that in 

 countries where these birds are still numerous and unmolested, 

 they may breed in colonies like other species of Herons " (supra, 

 p. 78). 



Last year (1906) I found a small colony of Ardea alba in 

 Albania. There were about a dozen nests containing young 

 birds at various stages of growth, and one nest which held four 

 much incubated eggs. 



