SQUACCO HERON. 153 



Unfortunately it is impossible now to ascertain whether 

 the two specimens in the late Mr. Lombe's collection at 

 Wymoiidham, were procured in this country or were 

 purchased abroad. 



Since these earlier dates I know of no instance of the 

 squacco heron appearing on our coast till the year 1863, 

 when, a fine adult male, in my own collection, was killed 

 on Surlingham Broad, on the 26th of June. Being away 

 from home at the time, I unfortunately had not the 

 opportunity of dissecting this bird myself, nor can I say 

 anything as to the colour of the bill, feet, and legs in a 

 fresh state, but its plumage is extremely beautiful, 

 and singularly uninjured by the shot. John Trett, the 

 marshman who killed it, described it as remarkably 

 tame, flying round his boat, and alighting again on the 

 marsh close to him, apparently interested in his move- 

 ments ; but the poor wanderer, as usual, received little 

 welcome, even from its own race, as the rooks kept up 

 a constant persecution. 



In the " Zoologist " for 1865 is a notice by my friend 

 Mr. Rocke, of Clungunford House, Shropshire, of a 

 splendid adult male in his collection, which was pur- 

 chased by him, in the flesh, of a London dealer, on the 

 the 8th of July, 1864. This, he was informed, had 

 been killed on the previous day by a gardener, near 

 Yarmouth; my own enquiries, however, of Yarmouth 

 gunners and collectors, and Mr: Eocke's subsequent in- 

 vestigations led us at length to the conclusion that, even 

 if procured anywhere in England (it being quite possible 

 that such a bird could be received from the continent 

 in a perfectly fresh state) it was certainly not killed in 

 Norfolk. This example, from its perfect plumage was 

 forwarded to Mr. Gould, who made a drawing of it for 

 his fine work on the " Birds of Great Britain." 



A very good specimen in the possession of Mr. 

 Reginald Upcher, of Kirby Cane, was ascertained by 



