SCOLOPACID^E. 223 



wing, there is little chance, now-a-days, of its re- 

 maining for any length of time undiscovered or un- 

 molested. I have seen the bittern flushed from 

 the reed-beds at the upper pond in Burton Park. 



NIGHT HERON, Nycticorax Gardeni. Has been 

 shot on two or three occasions in Sussex. Mr. 

 W. Borrer informed me that he examined a recent 

 specimen, which was killed near Alfriston, in No- 

 vember, 1839 a bird of the year. Since that 

 period another example has occurred near Cuck- 

 mere Haven. 



WHITE SPOONBILL, Platalea leucorodia. A rare 

 straggler. Has been shot at Rye and at Pagham 

 Harbour. The Chichester museum contains an ex- 

 ample which was killed in that neighbourhood, 

 and a fine specimen in my own collection was shot 

 near Seaford, in the autumn of 1844. 



Family SCOLOPACIDJB. 



COMMON CURLEW, Numenius arquata. Abun- 

 dant during the winter on most parts of the coast. 



WHIMBREL, Numenius phceopus. Provincial, 

 Titterel. Page 8. Is rarely met with in the win- 

 ter, but arrives about the time that the curlews 

 depart for their northern summer quarters. Small 

 flocks of whimbrels may be noticed during the 

 month of May on the shores of Pevensey Bay, and 

 in similar situations. I have found them between 



