﻿144 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  handling 
  it 
  1 
  saw 
  it 
  was 
  infested 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  parasites 
  

   I 
  have 
  ever 
  found 
  upon 
  any 
  bird 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  exceedingly 
  active, 
  

   running 
  about 
  one's 
  hands 
  in 
  a 
  most 
  disagreeable 
  fashion. 
  I, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  do 
  not 
  wish 
  to 
  infer 
  that 
  the 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  parasites 
  

   and 
  their 
  unusual 
  proportions 
  had 
  the 
  least 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  peculiar 
  

   colour 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  — 
  most 
  probably 
  not 
  — 
  but 
  their 
  presence 
  was 
  at 
  least 
  

   remarkable. 
  I 
  secured 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  them 
  for 
  a 
  microscopical 
  friend, 
  who, 
  

   if 
  this 
  note 
  should 
  meet 
  his 
  eye, 
  will 
  perhaps 
  tell 
  us 
  something 
  about 
  

   them. 
  — 
  G. 
  B. 
  Corbin 
  (Ringwood, 
  Hants). 
  

  

  Bittern 
  in 
  the 
  County 
  Waterford. 
  — 
  A 
  very 
  fine 
  Common 
  Bittern 
  

   (Botaunis 
  stellaris) 
  was 
  shot 
  within 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  here 
  on 
  Feb. 
  5th 
  last. 
  

   The 
  farmer 
  who 
  killed 
  it 
  brought 
  it 
  to 
  me, 
  and 
  kindly 
  made 
  me 
  a 
  

   present 
  of 
  it. 
  It 
  has 
  gone 
  for 
  preservation 
  to 
  Messrs. 
  Williams 
  & 
  Son. 
  

   Mr. 
  Williams 
  says 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  male. 
  He 
  also 
  says 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  see 
  

   anything 
  in 
  its 
  stomach. 
  Mr. 
  Ussher 
  has 
  many 
  interesting 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  on 
  the 
  Bittern 
  in 
  his 
  ' 
  Birds 
  of 
  Ireland,' 
  particularly 
  with 
  regard 
  

   to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  its 
  occurrence. 
  Out 
  of 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  five 
  instances 
  

   noted, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  December 
  is 
  the 
  month 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   number 
  have 
  been 
  obtained. 
  In 
  ' 
  British 
  Birds,' 
  by 
  W. 
  H. 
  Hudson, 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  coloured 
  plate 
  of 
  the 
  Bittern 
  by 
  the 
  celebrated 
  bird- 
  

   artist, 
  A. 
  Thorburn. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  it 
  is 
  as 
  true 
  to 
  

   nature 
  as 
  the 
  plate 
  by 
  Frohawk 
  in 
  ' 
  British 
  Birds,' 
  by 
  various 
  authors, 
  

   vol. 
  iv. 
  Most 
  observers 
  say 
  the 
  bird 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  remains 
  with 
  bill 
  

   erect, 
  and 
  pointing 
  upwards. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  

   drawn 
  by 
  Frohawk. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  occasion 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  

   this 
  really 
  beautiful 
  bird 
  in 
  the 
  flesh. 
  — 
  William 
  W. 
  Flemyng 
  (Coolfin, 
  

   Portlaw, 
  Co. 
  Waterford). 
  

  

  Abundance 
  of 
  Coot 
  (Fulica 
  atra) 
  in 
  South 
  Hants. 
  — 
  Some 
  ten 
  

   years 
  ago 
  I 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  then 
  decreasing 
  numbers 
  of 
  Coot 
  

   frequenting 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Hants, 
  bat 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  autumn 
  and 
  winter 
  

   their 
  extraordinary 
  abundance 
  was 
  of 
  almost 
  daily 
  comment. 
  One 
  

   man, 
  who 
  had 
  spent 
  some 
  thirty 
  or 
  more 
  years 
  in 
  pursuits 
  upon 
  the 
  

   Avon, 
  said 
  he 
  never 
  saw 
  them 
  so 
  abundant, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  days 
  when 
  

   they 
  nested 
  commonly 
  on 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  the 
  abundance 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   wholly 
  due 
  to 
  migration, 
  as 
  comparatively 
  few 
  birds 
  were 
  reared 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity, 
  although 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  seasons 
  a 
  gradual 
  increase 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  has 
  taken 
  place. 
  I 
  understand 
  a 
  similar 
  abundance 
  was 
  

   noticed 
  in 
  East 
  Dorset, 
  and 
  one 
  thousand 
  birds 
  were 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  killed 
  in 
  one 
  day's 
  shooting. 
  There 
  are 
  still 
  an 
  unusual 
  number 
  

   in 
  this 
  neighbourhood, 
  although 
  so 
  many 
  were 
  killed, 
  but 
  whether 
  

   they 
  will 
  stay 
  to 
  nest 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  — 
  G. 
  B. 
  Cokbin 
  (Ringwood, 
  

   Hants). 
  

  

  