A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



147. Night-Heron. Nycticorax griseus (Linn.). 

 A rare straggler. An immature female 



was shot at Dovercourt on November 29, 

 1880 (Zoologist, 1881, p. 68), and a young 

 male at Brightlingsea on December 5, 1891 

 (see Essex Standard, Dec. 17, 1891). 



148. Little Bittern. Ardetta minuta (Linn.). 

 A rare and irregular visitor. Six or eight 



individuals are known to have occurred in 

 the county, most of them in the autumn, but 

 two were obtained in the middle of June, 

 1867, when it is just possible they were 

 breeding. 



149. Bittern. Botaurus stellaris (Linn.). 

 Formerly, without doubt, a common resi- 

 dent, but now an uncommon and irregular 

 winter visitor only, though a good many 

 specimens have been met with. Probably 

 some of these would prove, if examined 

 critically, to be the American Bittern (B. len- 

 tiginosus], which has occurred not unfrequently 

 in Britain. 



150. White Stork. Ciconia alba, Bechstein. 

 An occasional visitor. Two were taken 



at Tillingham in January 1879 (Chelmsford 

 Chronicle, January 31, 1879). 



151. Black Stork. Ciconia nigra (Linn.). 

 Another accidental straggler. A fine fe- 

 male was shot beside the Stour at Stoke- 

 by-Nayland on or about April 12, 1881 (see 

 Birds of Essex, p. 1 88). 



152. Glossy Ibis. Plegadis fakinellus (Linn.). 

 Another accidental straggler. An im- 

 mature individual was shot as it rose from 

 the old decoy pond on the South Hall Mar- 

 shes, Paglesham, on October 15, 1872 (see 

 Birds of Essex, p. 189). 



153. Spoonbill. Platalea leucorodia, Linn. 

 Once without doubt a resident, breeding 



in the county, though there is, I believe, no 

 actual record of its having done so. Now it 

 is only an occasional visitor, chiefly during 

 spring and autumn. 



[Flamingo. Phcenicopterus roseus, Pallas. 



An exceedingly rare straggler to Britain. 

 One seen on our coast was afterwards shot 

 in the isle of Sheppey on August 16, 1873. 

 It was probably one which had escaped shortly 

 before from the Zoological Society's Gardens.] 



154. Grey-lag Goose. Anser cinereus, Meyer. 

 A winter visitor to our coast during severe 



weather. Occasionally seen inland. 



155. White-fronted Goose. Anser albifrons 



(Scopoli). 

 A not uncommon winter visitor. 



156. Bean Goose. Anser segetum (Gmelin). 

 An uncommon winter visitor. 



157. Pink-footed Goose. Anser brachyrhyn- 



chus, Baillon. 

 An occasional winter visitor. 



158. Red-breasted Goose. Bernicla ruficollh 

 (Pallas). 



An exceedingly rare straggler to Britain. 

 One was shot out of a flock of brent geese 

 on the Main, off Tillingham, near the Ray 

 Sands, on January 6, 1871 (Essex Naturalist, 

 i. 35). 



159. Barnacle Goose. Bernicla leucopsis (Bech- 



stein). 

 A rather uncommon winter visitor. 



1 60. Brent Goose. Bernicla brenta (Pallas). 

 An abundant winter visitor to the seas 



around our coast, especially during severe 

 winters, arriving usually early in October : 

 seldom seen inland except when wounded. 

 The vast numbers formerly seen now come 

 however no longer. The numbers killed 

 by the discharge of a single punt gun or by 

 the discharge of a number of such guns fired 

 simultaneously into a flock are often aston- 

 ishingly large as many as fifty in the former 

 case and seven hundred in the latter (see 

 Birds of Essex, p. 193). The light-bellied 

 North American race (the B. brenta-glauco- 

 gaster of some writers) occurs not infrequently 

 in small numbers. 



161. Whooper Swan. Cygnus musicus, Bech- 



stein. 



A winter visitor to our coast, and occa- 

 sionally seen inland. Its numbers with us 

 depend largely upon the severity of the 

 weather. 



162. Bewick's Swan. Cygnus bewicki, Yarrell. 

 Locally, Little Swan. 



As the foregoing. 



163. Mute Swan. Cygnus olor (Gmelin). 

 Common in a more or less domesticated 



condition : probably met with occasionally 

 during winter in a genuinely wild state. 



164. Sheld-Duck. Tadorna cornuta (S. G. 



Gmelin). 

 Locally, Bar-goose. 



A resident on our coast, though very much 

 less common than formerly and decreasing as 

 a breeding species : more often seen in winter. 



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