SQUACCO HERON. 1S 
Unfortunately it is impossible now to ascertain whether 
the two specimens in the late Mr. Lombe’s collection at 
Wymondham, were procured in this country or were 
purchased abroad. 
Since these earlier dates I know of no instance of the 
squacco heron appearing on our coast till the year 1863, 
when, a fine adult male, in my own collection, was killed 
on Surlingham Broad, on the 26th of June. Being away 
from home at the time, I unfortunately had not the 
opportunity of dissecting this bird myself, nor can I say 
anything as to the colour of the bill, feet, and legs in a 
fresh state, but its plumage is extremely beautiful, 
and singularly uninjured by the shot. John Trett, the 
marshman who killed it, described it as remarkably 
tame, flying round his boat, and alighting again on the 
marsh close to him, apparently interested in his move- 
ments; but the poor wanderer, as usual, received little 
welcome, even from its own race, as the rooks kept up 
a constant persecution. 
In the “ Zoologist ” for 1865 is a notice by my friend 
Mr. Rocke, of Clungunford House, Shropshire, of a 
splendid adult male in his collection, which was pur- 
chased by him, in the flesh, of a London dealer, on the 
the 8th of July, 1864. This, he was informed, had 
been killed on the previous day by a gardener, near 
Yarmouth; my own enquiries, however, of Yarmouth 
eunners and collectors, and Mr. Rocke’s subsequent in- 
vestigations led us at length to the conclusion that, even 
if procured anywhere in England (it being quite possible 
that such a bird could be received from the continent 
in a perfectly fresh state) it was certainly not killed in 
Norfolk. This example, from its perfect plumage was 
forwarded to Mr. Gould, who made a drawing of it for 
his fine work on the “ Birds of Great Britain.” 
A very good specimen in the possession of Mr. 
Reginald Upcher, of Kirby Cane, was ascertained by 
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