1172 Birds. 



the old and young herons sitting on the tops of the trees, putting their 

 long necks and beaks close down upon their shoulders, and which are 

 then not visible at a distance ; they sit perfectly still, and appear like 

 cinerary vases fixed to the boughs. The young birds are of a 

 bluish-grey colour. The old ones seem to have a difficulty in 

 their first rising to fly off a branch ; but in soaring high into the air 

 they exhibit considerable power. The herons in that spot are strictly 

 protected by Lady Fleming, the Lady of that lake. This bird has 

 been long esteemed for the table as among the best of game. Once 

 only I partook of a young heron, which was stuffed like a turkey, 

 roasted, and served with currant jelly, and extremely good it proved. 

 Its flesh was dark-coloured, and in flavour most resembled hare. The 

 heron is very common by the Tees, and is said to have shown, in some 

 springs, an inclination to contest with the rook for the large trees at 

 Greatham, and to build there. As yet, however, the rook continues 

 sole master. 



Bittern, Botaurus stellaris. The absurd name Botaurus, which 

 is, I conclude, from Bos and Taurus, a bull, has been given to this bird 

 by three or four authors : so one might as well call a bird Equuca- 

 ballus, a horse ! In my MSS. I have named this genus Erogas, from 

 spcoya^ a heron. The bittern is exceedingly rare, but has been shot 

 occasionally in our marshes near the Tees. 



White Stork, Ciconia alba. Two of this species were seen in 

 Cowpen marsh in the spring of 1830, when one of them was shot. 

 This migratory bird I have often noticed in France, Germany, Swit- 

 zerland, &c. 



Common Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia. The remarkable shape 

 of this bird's bill, renders it an object of much curiosity to the orni- 

 thologist. In other respects it generally resembles the egret. Its 

 specific title, leucorodia, is derived from tevnos, white, and £pcodib$, heron : 

 so, others have given it the like term of Albardeola, or the little white 

 heron. I have only heard of a single spoonbill having been killed on 

 the Tees marshes : and this was some years ago. It was seen by Mr. 

 Hixon ; and very probably it may have crossed the sea on its migra- 

 tion to or from Holland, where the species is common in the summer. 



Avocet, Recurvirostra Avocetta. One bird was shot in the win- 

 ter of 1827-8, near the Tees. It is frequent in North Holland 

 and South Denmark. Its singular bill is as much curved upwards as 

 those of the curlew and whimbrel are downwards, and I think even 

 more so ; whilst from its weakness and great flexibility it seems only 



