62 
The Birds of Pembrokeshire. 
about the year 1857. Within twenty yards of the same spot 
Mr. Tracy shot another, which he forwarded to Mr. Dix. ‘This 
was on December 7th, 1868. It proved to be a male, and had a 
single occipital plume about three inches long, white, tipped with 
dark brown ; the back and wings were beautifully shot with olive 
green; the white spots on the back and wing coverts, Mr. Dix 
adds, were more distinct and larger than they are represented in 
Yarrell’s figure. Mr. H. Mathias has informed us that a Night 
Heron was shot in the Lord’s meadow, at Lamphey, when he was 
a boy. Two others were killed near Kingsbridge, Pembroke ; 
one of these Mr. Mathias saw in the shop of Mr. Tracy, at 
Pembroke, immediately after it was shot. These two specimens 
are, without doubt, those mentioned by Mr. Dix. In 1876, 
three Night Herons roosted for several days in a tree in a garden 
belonging to Canon Lewis, at St. David’s, within thirty yards of 
the Cathedral. One was shot, on May rath, and proved a fine 
adult male, with three white occipital plumes. This handsome 
specimen is now in the possession of Dr. Propert, of St. David’s. 
The Night Heron, like many of the family, is a nocturnal 
feeder, hiding itself, and roosting during the day in thick bushes 
and trees. 
BITTERN, Botaurus stellaris—A rare, occasional winter visitor. 
The Bittern is nowa very rare bird in Pembrokeshire, and there 
are but few instances of its occurrence of late years. It was 
more common fifty years ago, in Mr. Tracy’s time. He used to 
recelve a few every winter, and, about the year 1842, he states 
that he had no less than thirteen Bitterns to set up, all killed 
the same week, the weather being very severe at the time. Bit- 
terns have been obtained occasionally at Tregwynt, in the north 
of the county. Sir Hugh Owen has shot them at Goodwick. 
One was killed at Dale, February 2nd, 1888. Two were brought 
to Jeffreys, the bird-stuffer in Haverfordwest, in the severe 
winter of 1890. One of these was from Tregwynt. A white 
Bittern is said to have been seen near Solva, in the winter of 
1886. It escaped slaughter, and was probably a Spoonbill. In 
