PUEPLE HEEON — NIGHT HEEON. 185 



years previously, near Witney, and they mention another shot 

 on Otmoor in the winter of 1837 [Zoologist, p. 2600). The 

 latter example passed into the collection of the late Mr. E. H. 

 Rodd, of Penzance, and is now in the possession of Mr. W. H. 

 Ving-oe, of that town, who had it in exchang-e from Mr, Rodd, 

 as it was not a Cornish specimen. It is in immature plumage 

 (W. H. Ving-oe in lit.). Some five-and-twenty, or thirty 

 years ago, an adult Purple Heron, handled while in the flesh 

 by Mr. G. Arnatt, was shot on the Isis between Eynsham 

 Bridge and Bablock Hithe ; it was preserved, but afterwards 

 was destroyed by moth. 



THE GREAT WHITE HERON". 



Atxlea alba. 

 The Great White Heron, an accidental visitor from South- 

 ern Europe, Asia, and North Africa, has once visited this 

 county. Mr. Frederick Holme sent Mr. Yarrell the measure- 

 ments of a specimen which was shot on the Isis, not far from 

 Oxford, in September, 1833 (History of British Birds, 4th 

 edition, vol. iv), and the Messrs. Matthews also received notice 

 of the fact from the Rev. H. Roundell. 



THE NIGHT HERON. \ i 



Nycticorax griseus. 

 The Night Heron is an occasional visitor of rare occurrence. 

 First recorded as a British bird by Latham, in his Synopsis, 

 from a specimen procured near London in 1782, it was only a 

 few years later that a second example (in this case in the 

 spotted dress of the immature bird) was procured in Oxford- 

 shire, the particulars of which were communicated to the 

 Linnean Society, 3rd April, 1798. On the authority of this 

 specimen, Montagu included in the British list the ' Gardenian 

 Heron,'' by which name the young of the Night Heron was 

 then known. It was shot by Lord Kirkwall, near Thame, as 

 it sat on a tree, to which it had retired probably after feeding 



