BUFF-BACKED HEKON SQUACCO HERON. 151 



this bird annually visited Horsey in Norfolk, till about 

 twelve years ago, and that since that time it has disap- 

 peared." Mr. Lubbock suggests that in this case a 

 confusion has arisen between avocet and egret, which is, 

 I believe, a plausible explanation of so palpable an error, 

 since there is no cause for supposing that the egret, rare 

 enough as an accidental straggler, was ever known 

 to visit this county, or indeed any part of England 

 regularly. In like manner one can but agree with 

 Fleming and Selby that "the birds mentioned in the 

 bill of fare at the famous feast of Archbishop Neville in 

 the reign of Henry IY., under the name of Egrets or 

 Egrittes," when " a thousand were served up at a 

 single entertainment," were not of this species, but 

 merely lapwings, so termed from their crests ; aigrette 

 or egret signifying a tuft of feathers. 



ARDEA RUSSATA, Wagler. 

 BUFF-BACKED HERON. 



Like the two preceding species this heron is 

 inserted for the first time in the list of our accidental 

 visitants on the authority of Mr. Joseph Clarke, who 

 informs me that a young bird, killed at Martham, near 

 Yarmouth, in 1827, is now in the Saffron Walden 

 Museum. 



ARDEA COMATA, Pallas. 

 SQUACCO HERON. 



This small but very beautiful species has occurred 

 in the county in several well authenticated instances, 

 the earliest of which I can find any record being the 

 one noticed by the Messrs. Paget as " caught in a 



