314 THE BIRDS OF SUSSEX. 



PUEPLE HERON. 



Ardea purpurea. 



I CAN only find two instances of the occurrence o£ this bird 

 in Sussex. Mr. Knox (O. R. p. 226) writes : — "An example 

 o£ this rare Heron was shot on the 28th of September, 1848, 

 at Worthing, by a gentleman of the name of Paul. It was 

 preserved by Mr. Andrews, of that town, and is now in the 

 museum of the Cambridge Philosophical Society." Of the 

 occurrence of the Purple Heron at Catsfield, Mr. Ellman, in 

 the ' Zoologist,' p. 3330, writing in November 1851, makes 

 this statement : — " An immature specimen of this bird was 

 shot at this place last month, and is now in the possession of 

 a gentleman at Hastings." He bought it at the sale of Mr. 

 Ellman's birds. Mr. Potter, formerly a bird-stuffer at Lewes, 

 writing to me in February 1890, says that this example was 

 brought to him in the flesh, by a person who stated that a 

 neighbour of his had shot it, and that he asked him to take it 

 to him, and ascertain what he would charge for stuffing it. 

 He did not like the price, and Mr. Potter continues, "As the 

 pendants of the crest were not perfect, I doubted whether 

 it was a mature bird, and offered 5s. for it, saying I would 

 send him another 5». if I found it was mature, which I 

 did, to his address at Buxted, near which place he said it 

 was shot. I have forgotten the name and address." 



Its nearest breeding places are the marshes of France and 

 Holland. In Yarrell (B. B. vol. iv. p. 175) we find Mr. 

 Alfred Crowley, who visited the Naarden Meer, near Amster- 

 dam, describes the nests as placed about three feet 

 above the water, and made by fixing down twelve or thirteen 

 reeds to form a platform, on which some smaller pieces were 

 laid crosswise. In Ceylon, however, it is found breeding on 



