58 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
appeared at a distance to be a snow-white bird rising out of a reedy marsh 
near the bank of the river. It flew with a slow and measured flight, passing 
so near as to enable me to see the pale buff of its back, though its wings 
were snowy white. I at once knew it must bea stranger. It pitched ona 
low tree overhanging the water, but having no gun with me I knew it was 
useless following it, though on my return I saw it standing on one leg on a 
sandy strand. On the 10th I lost no time in crossing the lakes and speeding 
down the Lanne, hardly expecting, however, again to see the rare stranger ; 
but fortune favoured me, and on the same strand where I had last seen him 
standing I again found him. He allowed the boat to glide past within a 
few yards of him. I landed and walked up to him, but so careless was he 
of my approach that I had to allow him a few yards’ law to avoid blowing 
him to pieces. I hurried into the stream and captured my prize, to find 
him a beautiful specimen of the Squacco Heron (Ardea comata). A boy 
herding cattle in the neighbourhood told me he had noticed the bird for some 
time past. I sent it for preservation to Mr. Thomas Cooke, of Museum 
Street, London, by whom it was beautifully mounted, and in whose shop it 
was seen and admired by many ornithologists. It is for the present deposited 
in the Ornithological Gallery of the Museum of the Royal Dublin Society.— 
Artuur H. Bowzss (99, Lower Mount Street, Dublin). 
[The Squacco Heron seems to be a rare bird in Ireland. A specimen 
was shot many years ago near Youghal, as recorded by Thompson (Nat. Hist. 
Ireland, Birds, vol. ii. p. 158), and another, also procured in the neighbour- 
hood of Youghal, is in the Museum of the Royal Dublin Society. So far as 
we are aware, the subject of the present notice makes the third now recorded 
to have been met with in the Sister Isle. Seeing that the true home of this 
species is South-Western Asia, Egypt and Nubia, it is rather singular that 
the only specimens met with in Ireland should all have been found in the 
south-west of the island.—Ep. ] 
Partias’ Sano Grouse In IneLanp.—No small interest attaches to the 
appearance of this bird in Ireland, as recorded at p. 24. Previous to its 
sporadic occurrence in the year 1859 it was unknown as a European bird ; 
the remarkable irruption of more than 700 specimens in 1863, so ably 
chronicled by Professor Newton (‘ Ibis,’ 1864, pp. 185—222), occurred over 
a vast area, but has never since been repeated. Now that it has at last 
reappeared so far west as Kildare, it is extremely probable that this curious 
Asiatic species has been met with in other places, and it behoves every 
naturalist to record every authentic instance of its occurrence. The 
uncertainty which surrounds every question of migration can only be 
dispelled by diligent colligation of facts —Hexry T. WHarton. _ 
Maepiss FLocKING In Winrer.—In ‘ The Zoologist’ for November (2nd 
ser. 5164) I observe Mr. E. P. P. Butterfield laments the wholesale slaughter 
of Magpies, and their extinction in so many districts. I have great pleasure 
