ZOOLOGY. 39 
in the water, every now and then darting their sharp bills 
into some of the small crabs, with which the little stream 
was filled. They seemed to catch these crabs and prawns 
all day long; at other times, they would run along the | 
muddy banks of the river, their necks stretched out close — 
to the ground, chasing the crabs and numerous insects, 
which were trying to escape from them. In Mr. Gosse’s 
account of the Birds of Jamaica, he speaks of the hum- 
ming-birds chasing the different kinds of herons. I have 
also noticed this fact, at a small marsh near Worthing, in 
Barbadoes, where I have seen the beautiful little blue and 
green-crested humming-bird chasing the “Green Gaulin,” 
(as it is called,) in every direction, uttering a little, shrill, 
angry cry, the heron seemingly in great distress, till at last 
he would take refuge from his diminutive persecutor, by 
diving into some friendly thicket; the humming-bird 
would then take one or two casts, backwards and forwards, 
to make sure his enemy was gone, and then dart off to 
some flower close at hand. 
GREAT AMERICAN WHITE EcRET (Ardea egretta). Only 
two specimens, which were killed at Hungry Bay, in 1840; 
and Mr. Hurdis mentions that none have been obtained 
since, though several instances are recorded of its having 
been seen. 
Snowy HERON (A. candidissima). I shot two beautiful 
specimens, male and female, in full plumage, on the 8th 
and 12th of April, 1850, at the pond, near the tamarind 
tree; the male bird was only wounded, and swam out a 
considerable distance into the pond before I could secure 
it. Several others visited the islands, in September, 1850. 
These two birds, and the specimen of ardea cerulea, already 
