m Great Britain during the Nesting -season. 433 



Obs. — The Crane {Grus cinerea, Bechst.) is spoken of by 

 Turner (Avium Historia, 1543) as breeding in this country. 

 This author says, " earum pipiones ipse ssepissime vidi;'' and 

 an Act of Parliament, passed in 1533, made the taking of a 

 Crane's egg an offence punishable with a fine of twenty pence. 

 But the bird could not have long continued the practice of breed- 

 ing with us, for to Sir Thomas Browne and John Ray it was only 

 known as a winter visitant. As in several other cases, the bird's 

 name remains, and in many parts of the country the Heron is 

 commonly known as the " Crane." 



Ardea cinerea [Linn.). Common Heron. 

 Provinces I.-XVIII. 

 Subprovinces 1-35, 37. 

 Lat. 50°-60°. "British" type, or general. 



The Heron breeds in every subprovince, and in nearly every 

 county from which 1 have received a list. It does not, however, 

 nest in the Outer Hebrides, nor in Shetland, and only occasion- 

 ally in Orkney. 



BoTAURUs STELLARis {Steph.). Commou Bittern. 

 Provinces [II.-VI.] [VIII.] [X.-XV.] . 



Subprovinces (6), (8), (10-13), (15), (17), (19), (22-24), (26)^ 



(28), (29), (31). 

 Lat. 50°-58°. "English" (or British ?) type. 



Though recorded as having formerly bred in many different 

 parts of the country, the Bittern can no longer be reckoned 

 among our indigenous birds. The latest nest of which I have 

 received information is one that was taken about ten years ago 

 at the Reservoirs near Tring. Mr. H. Stevenson has not heard 

 of any nest in Norfolk during the last twelve years. 



Obs. — Mr. Hewitson mentions that in the Museum of the 

 Natural History Society of Newcastle-upon-Tyne there is a 

 stuffed specimen of the Little Bittern {Ardea minuta), together 

 with its eggs, which formerly formed part of the Allan or 

 Wycliffe Museum. Of the history of the eggs nothing is known ; 

 but that gentleman has " very little doubt that they were taken 

 in this country." Macgillivray also suggests that a nest de- 



