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THE LITTLE EGRET. 



Egretta garzetta. 

 PLATE IV. 



Ardea garzetta, Linn. Heron garzette, Temm. The Little 

 Egret or Egret Heron, Sdby and Yarrell. 



THE close alliance of the Egrets, to each other, has 

 caused a much wider geographical range to be 

 given them than they possess. The present bird is 

 confined to the Old World ; but how far restricted, 

 or whether the other White Egrets, from almost all 

 parts of the Old Hemisphere, of a similar size, are 

 all identical, perhaps still requires a more strict 

 investigation. Its best acknowledged range is 

 Southern Europe, Greece, and Northern Africa, 

 from some of which countries an occasional speci- 

 men, at rare intervals, strays to our shores. Mr. 

 Yarrell, whose exertions in collecting information 

 of this kind are indefatigable, records six instances 

 of its capture, in Britain or Ireland, which he 

 considers may be relied on. The first is the bird 

 noticed by Pennant, who saw only the feathers ; 

 the others were taken in Cornwall, Hampshire, 

 Warwickshire, and one in the harbour of Cork, 



