94 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



bird, have little doubt it was an adult specimen. No 

 portion of this bird was preserved. 



Learn through Mr. Wedderburn that Mr. McLeod, 2nd 

 Battalion 42nd Highlanders, stationed at St. George's, 

 shot a Kildeer Plover {Charadrius vociferus) there yester- 

 day — a very fine specimen. 



December gth, 1848. — Rambled across the Hamilton 

 Ferry with my gun. Fell in with two Night Herons, in 

 spotted plumage, at the Chief Justice's Pond, and killed 

 both. Male — twenty-five and eight-tenth inches in length ; 

 breadth, upwards of forty-seven inches. Female — not so 

 long by an inch. Both very fat. Ranged the sea shore 

 from beyond the Sand-hills to Hungry Bay without seeing 

 a bird. May we not say, with truth, that we have a sea 

 coast without sea birds ? 



December 12th, 1848. — Mr. R. D. Fraser informs me that 

 in Port Royal Bay, last evening, he saw an immense Hawk 

 hovering over the water, almost within gunshot, and that 

 on two separate occasions he observed it to dash into the 

 water after its prey. This bird he describes as being brown 

 above and whitish about the head and under parts — an 

 Osprey, no doubt. 



While out with my gun this evening, I visited the swamp 

 near " Dick Keye's" cottage, to seek for the Bittern which 

 frequents that spot. Saw it rise from the oped part of the 

 marsh, and retreat into the thick tall reeds at the upper 

 end. These reeds were seven or eight feet high. With 

 much difficulty I forced my way to the spot, but so dense 



