HERONS. 247 



two inches of an eel projecting from the mouth. 

 On relieving the bird of its prey it recovered. The 

 eel weighed seventeen ounces and measured twenty- 

 five inches in length. This Heron has subsequently 

 become very tame, and stalks about the poultry 

 yard, but is rather fierce to his companions. When 

 unable to supply him with trout, he is fed on salted 

 sprats, which he always washes well in a pond 

 ere swallowing. He rests like a Puffin or Guil- 

 lemot, on the entire length of the tarsus, slowly 

 sinking into this attitude from time to time. 



THE NIGHT HERON (Nycticorax griseus) is a 

 rare visitant to Ireland, but occurs now and then. 

 A fine specimen, preserved by Mr. Rohu, of Cork, 

 was shot on Lord Shannon's estate, near Youghall, 

 on May i6th, 1877. Five instances of the occur- 

 rence of this bird in Ireland (one of which Mr. 

 Glennon preserved) have come to my knowledge 

 since 1877. 



THE SQUACCO HERON (Ardea comata). When 

 Thompson published his work on " The Birds of 

 Ireland," only one specimen of this bird was known 

 to have occurred in Ireland. This was shot in 

 Killeagh Bog, Youghal, in May, 1849. Since then 

 another has been met with, also near Youghal, and is 

 now preserved in the Museum of the Royal Dublin 

 Society. Mr. A. H. Bowles, of Guildford, sent me 

 word that in June, 1875, he shot one of these birds 

 in Kerry, on the river Laune, an interesting fact 

 which I find has been recorded in The Zoologist 

 for 1877, p. 57, in which volume I also find (at 

 p. 388) a notice by Mr. Williams of another 

 Squacco Heron, obtained at Castle Bernard, King's 



