562 ARDEID^E. 



Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Lincolnshire. In several of 

 the counties named it has occurred more than once, and I 

 am indebted to the Rev. E. L. Davis, of Halwell House, 

 near Kingsbridge in Devonshire, for the knowledge of the 

 occurrence of one that was shot in that neighbourhood in 

 the month of July, 1840. 



The native locality of this species appears to be along the 

 south-western parts of Asia, in Egypt, and Nubia. It has 

 been found in the countries bordering the Caspian Sea, in 

 the Grecian Archipelago, in Turkey, and in Italy. The 

 Zoological Society received a beautiful specimen from 

 Sicily in June, 1840. It is obtained occasionally at Genoa 

 and Geneva, in Provence, in the middle of France, and in 

 Germany ; but, I believe, it has not been known to extend 

 its migrations into more northern regions. It inhabits 

 the banks of stagnant waters, morasses, the sides of rivers, 

 and low lands near the sea-shore. One of the specimens 

 obtained on the coast of Norfolk was caught alive, having 

 entangled itself in some fishing nets hung on stakes to 

 dry. 



The Squacco Heron feeds on small fishes, mollusca, and 

 insects, and is said to build on trees. The eggs, as figured 

 by Thienemann, are one inch and a half in length, by one 

 inch and one-eighth in breadth, of a pale greenish grey. 



The adult bird has the beak greenish brown, darkest in 

 colour towards the point ; the lore naked and green ; the 

 irides bright yellow ; the feathers on the top of the head 

 pale yellow brown, streaked longitudinally with dark lines, 

 the feathers becoming elongated towards the occiput, with 

 a dark line along each outer edge; the feathers forming 

 the occipital plume are eight or nine in number, and from 

 four to six inches in length, lanceolate, pointed, pure 

 white along the centre, bounded on each side with a black 



