SQUACCO HERON. 531 



the counties named it has occurred more than once, and 1 

 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 so 

 recently as the month of July last, 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 last. It is obtained occasionally at Genoa and 

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

 many ; 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, but the eggs are un- 

 known. 



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 line, with a 

 very narrow terminal margin of white ; the sides, front of 

 the neck at the bottom, and the back, rich buff colour ; in- 



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