220 On the Occurrence of some of the Rarer Species of Birds 



in last month the same paper mentions one killed in County Down, 

 on November, 18th, of the present year (1888), in which county it 

 also appeared in 1845 — specimens also having been obtained in 

 Louth in 1868, 1870, and 1875. These certainly are not local 

 specimens, but worth mentioning in passing. 



Ardea Ni/cticorax. "Night Heron." A bird widely diffused but 

 not often found in Britain. A young male was killed by Turner- 

 Turner, Esq., at Avon Castle,some four miles up the river, on August, 

 4th, 1880. Another was killed at Christchurch, in 1836, by J. 

 Sloman, Esq. Hart himself has a good pair in his collection, one 

 of which, a female, was killed at Ringwood, on July, 22nd, 1868, 

 by W. Emis, and the other, a very good adult male, in the Christ- 

 church meadows on August 7th, 1879, by Charles Campbell. I 

 have never handled one of these birds myself, but I have a very 

 good specimen of its first cousin, the Nankeen Night Heron from 

 Australia, which was given me kindly by the late Mrs. Prior, of 

 Salisbury. It is a most beautifully-coloured bird, exactly of the 

 same size and appearance as our British species, but the general 

 colour of the bird is of a lovely cinnamon brown, instead of the 

 grey tint prevalent in our own species. 



Ciconia Alba. " Stork." It is more than curious that, whereas 

 these birds are so common on the other side of the Channel they 

 should so very rarely be known to visit our shores. From what- 

 ever cause, however, it proceeds, it is certain that very few of my 

 readers will be able to say that they have seen a White Stork 

 with their own eyes on British soil. Perchance they are waiting 

 for the accommodation of the Channel Tunnel to afford them 

 a passage on dry land, not caring for so lengthy a flight. But 

 perhaps the real reason is that they are so inhospitably received 

 when they do come, that none are left to represent their species 

 amongst us ; for they would not certainly be held in the same 

 veneration with us as they are on the other side of the water, 

 where they are not only superstitiously preserved, their lives 

 being quite as inviolable as a fox's in our own country, but 

 breeding-places are often said to be erected for them near the farm- 

 yards, which are annually repaired and kept in order, inasmuch as 



