LITTLE BITTERN. 119 
175. PURPLE HERON—(4rdea purpurea). 
A few instances only of the occurrence of this bird in Britain 
have been recorded. 
176. GREAT WHITE HERON—(érdea alba). 
White Heron, Great Egret——A rarer and more accidental 
visitor than even the bird last named. 
177. LITTLE EGRET—(Ardea garzetta) 
Egret, Egret Heron, Little Egret Heron—There is good 
reason to believe that this bird may once, at a remote period, 
have been sufficiently common, or even abundant in England. 
Now, however, it is of exceedingly rare occurrence anywhere 
within the British seas. 
179. BUFF-BACKED HERON—(4rdea russata). 
Red-billed Heron, Rufous-backed Egret, Little White Heron 
(the young).—An exceedingly rare bird, with perhaps scanty 
claim to be considered British at all. 
180. SQUACCO HERON—(Ardea ralloides). 
Buff-coloured Egret.—A bird which has been met with in 
several of the counties in the southern half of England, and 1 
believe more or less frequently in some of them. Still it is but 
a visitor, and, comparatively with many other not very common 
birds, a rare one; and, as certainly not breeding in our island 
possessing no claim upon us for lengthened notice here. 
181. LITTLE BITTERN—(Botaurus minutus). 
It would seem that this bird is to be looked upon rather as a 
summer visitor to us; and Mr. Yarrell says of it, “Some, if not 
prevented, would probably have bred in this country.” Still, 
although the grounds for this opinion seem valid and conclusive, 
no actual instance of nidification here has ever been ascertained. 
