ARDEID^. 191 



•wings and wing-corerts ash-grey ; and the whole of the undcrparts 

 pure white. 



It would seem that in certain years there is a small migration of Night- 

 Herons to this country in search of a breeding-station. 



Dr. E. Moore and Bellamy record several Kight-Hei-oua sliot at Leigliain, Aveton 

 Gifford, and Ashbiirtori. 



An adidt male was shot on the Avon near Hatch Bridge, in 1844, and is now in the 

 collection of the late Mr. J. Ellior, of Kingsbridge (H. N., Zool. 1847, p. 1695, and 

 E. A. S. E., MS. JS'otes). The Rev. CourtenajT Bulteel states that he himself killed 

 no less tlian seven, and Mr. R. A. Julian, Jnr., one, in May 1849, at Flete, near Hol- 

 beton and Ernie Bridge, four of tliem being adult males and four adult females 

 (Zool. l.S-19, p. 2528). Tliese are now ]n-eserved in tlie collections of Lord Lilford, 

 Mr. Andrews, of Modbiiry, and the late Mr. Marsh-Dunn, of Teignniouth. Mr. J. 

 Gatcombe examined all these birds. A specimen in the plumage of the second year 

 was sliot by a son of Mr. Bulteel on the river Erme, near Ivybridge, on 2nd June, 

 1873 (Zool. 1873. p. 3(i31). An adult male was sliot on the Taw, two miles above 

 Barnstaple, in May 1809, by Lieut. W. C. Mathew (Zool. 18(59, p. 18U3). An 

 immature spotted specimen was shot by Mr. George Balliwell on the river Avon 

 January 7th, 1870 (H. N., Zool. 187(), p. 4843; and R. P. N., MS. Notes). Mr. H. 

 KiclioUs has another immature example, shot at Churchstow by Mr. Edmund Bray, 

 and procured one almost in nesting-plumage from the same locality in October about 

 18(54. A specimen was also shot by the Rev. W. Wills, of Axminster (Pulmau's 

 ' Book of the Axe '). 



Bittern, Botcmrus stellaris (Linn.). 



A winter visitor, usually of somewhat rare occurrence in the south of 

 the county, but still rcgidarly ol)tained in the north around Barnstaple. 

 In some years many have been killed. Thus, in one severe winter Mr. 

 Henry ]S"icholls, of Kingsbridge, had eleven specimens brought to him. 



Some thirty years ago, before the present commodious market-house 

 had been erected in Barnstaple, the farmers' wives were wont on the 

 market-day to set their panniers on either side of the High Street. It 

 used to be a matter of great interest to us, in those das's, especially in the 

 •winter-time, after a severe frost, to walk the whole length of the street 

 inspecting the various stalls for the sake of discovering if any rare birds 

 had been brought in amongst the numerous Snipe, Woodcocks, Wild Ducks, 

 "Wood-l'igeoMs, &c., wliich would be exposed for sale. In hard weather 

 we should be certain to meet with three or four Bitterns ; we have known 

 of a dozen Ijronght into tlie town in a single week. We can remember 

 hearing of three having been finshed together out of a small osier-bed 

 adjoining the Taw, and two of them, whicli had been shot light and left, 

 were long in our possession. Bitterns were almost equall)' nnmcrous at 

 the time wo refer to in the neighbourhood of W'cston-sujjer-Mare, in 

 Somerset, where we have examined a great many whicli were brought into 

 the local Inrd-stuffer from the adjacent levels, and both at Barnstiiple and 

 at Weston-super-Mare the old price for a fine 15ittcrii was lialf-a-crown. 

 At the date to which our experience goes liack a few iJitterns wore mot 

 •with every winter, being excejitionally nunirroMs wlien the winters were 

 severe, the birds frozen out from their usual iianuts amongst the sedgo 



