174 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. ¥ 
In the “ Zoologist”’ for 1848 (p. 1965), the following 
passage occurs, amongst other ornithological records, 
by Messrs. Gurney and Fisher :—“ An example of the 
American Birrern (Botaurus lentiginosus), another 
interesting addition to the birds of Norfolk, has been 
killed at Yarmouth; but not having seen the bird, we 
are not at present able to add anything to the bare 
mention of its occurrence.” No doubt further enquiry 
at the time convinced the above authors that they had 
been misinformed; and as neither Mr. Gurney nor Mr. 
Fisher have now any recollection of the circumstance, 
this species holds no place in the Norfolk list. 
NYCTICORAX GARDENI* (Dickinson). 
NIGHT-HERON. 
The earliest record I can find of the occurrence of 
this species in Norfolk is the statement in Sir W. 
Hooker’s M.S., on the authority of the late Mr. Lilly 
Wigg, that, “Mr. Stage shot one of these birds in 
Yarmouth about the year 1800.”+ We have next the 
* As TI have undertaken to follow the nomenclature of Yarrell, 
Iam compelled to use this name, but it is now well known that 
the Ardea gardeni of Gmelin, was originally described from a 
young example of the American night-heron, and not the European 
representative species, which should stand as Nycticoraw griseus 
(Linn.) It is not easy to ascertain who first confounded the two 
birds, but I imagine that Mr. Dickinson was the author of the 
mistake (Trans. Linn. Soc.” v., p. 276), and accordingly append 
his name to that of the bird, it being clearly understood that his 
Ardea gardeni was not the same as A. gardeni (Gmelin.) 
+ Like the subsequent specimen in 1824, this bird was shot 
from a tree in a nursery garden, as stated by Messrs. Sheppard 
and Whitear, aluhough the date is not given by them. 
