THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 89 



belonged to Lord Blatcliford, and was supposed to 

 have passed into his collection. Gatcomhe 

 examined the collection in J 873, and pronounced 

 that this bird was in fine condition, and that the 

 stuffer's name was on the back of the case. But the 

 death of the late Mr. Bond has brought to light a 

 second specimen, described in his private catalogue 

 as obtained in 1840 in Devonshire, and Mr. Bidwell 

 reports that the bird entered Mr. Bond's possession 

 in that year. Whether two Squacco Herons were 

 killed in Devon at the same time, or whether one of 

 the birds was mounted from a skin to counterfeit 

 the other, I can not say. Mr. Bond's specimen 

 was sold at Stevens's, May 22nd 1890, as of 

 lot 32, and was purchased for £2 10s by Mr. Chase 

 of Birmingham. Mr. H. Saunders records a third 

 specimen, killed in Devon, in June, 1878. 



LITTLE BITTERN. —Anietta minuta (Linn). 



An occasional but rare summer visitant, chiefly 

 noticed in South Devon. Various specimens have 

 been obtained at Slapton Ley and elsewhere, prior 

 to 1852. On the 23rd of April, in that year, an 

 adult male Little Bittern was captured at Prawl, 

 and carried, quite uninjured to Mr. NichoUs, who 

 remarks : " It seldom stretched out its neck, except 

 in the act of striking, which it did with much force, 

 drawing blood from the hand of a boy who ventured 

 too near it " (Zool. 1852. p. 3474). In May, 1873, 

 a fine male was shot on the river Erme, and came 



