NOTES ON NOVA SCOTIAN ZOOLOGY—PIERS. 257. 
“in the flesh” and found it to be an adult male in full 
breeding plumage ; total length, 14 ins.; wing 4.70; bill 1.88. It 
had been shot by Thomas Beck on the 16th of the above men- 
tioned month, at Upper Prospect, Halifax County. 
This small, handsome species has never before been met with 
in Nova Seotia, and its occurrence here is remarkable. Its 
regular range in the east only extends as far north as Massa- 
chusetts, but stragglers have been taken in Maine and New 
Brunswick. In the latter province some five individuals were 
shot between 1877 and 1881, on the Bay of Fundy shore 
between Black River and Mispeck (Chainberlain, “Catalogue 
of Birds of New Brunswick”). In Ontario, Mr. Mellwraith 
reports it as generally distributed throughout the south part of 
the province, and as a regular summer resident at Hamilton Bay 
(Birds of Ontario, 2nd ed., p. 108.) Its presence in Nova Scotia 
is the more remarkable when we consider the very early period 
of the year in which it was taken ; a time when only the more 
hardy birds arrive here. 
LitTLE BLuE HeERon (Ardea coerulea). On March 18th, 
1896, a male of this species, in adult plumage, was killed at 
Lawrencetown, Halifax County. The bird was thin and had 
evidently had but little food for some time. It was brought to 
Mr. Egan. On April 10th, 1897, another specimen, an adult, 
was taken at Sheet Harbour. It was mounted by Mr. Egan 
and now belongs to Mr. Hart of Halifax. 
With these two exceptions, the species has only once been 
collected in the province. The late Mr. J. Matthew Jones 
reported that a specimen was taken at Cole Harbour, near 
Halifax, during the summer of 1884, (vide Chamberlain’s 
Catalogue of Canadian Birds). The specimen referred to by 
Mr. Jones was formerly in the collection of Mr. Egan, but is 
now owned by the Fisheries Department at Ottawa. It was in 
whitish immature plumage. 
PURPLE GALLINULE (Jonornis martinica). This handsome 
but somewhat bizarre species is an accidental visitor in Nova 
Scotia. ‘Two specimens have been taken in the province in pre- 
