184 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



spring the nests appeared to be unoccupied. A fine old Heron, 

 preserved at Gogerddan, has the greater part of the back and 

 wings white. 



Little Bittern, Ardetta minuta. An example, shot about 

 forty years ago near Lodge Park by the late Mr. Jeffreys, of 

 Glandyfi Castle, is now in the possession of the Viscountess 

 Parker. 



Bittern, Botaurus stellaris. The two large bogs, which form 

 the most interesting feature of the county from an ornithological 

 point of view, — the Gors Fochno, stretching inland from Borth, 

 and the Gors Teifi near Tregaron, — must formerly have been 

 favourite haunts of this bird. They are revisited almost annually, 

 as Mr. Hutchings receives Bitterns for preservation whenever a 

 few days of hard frost occur. During frost in the first week of 

 Januar}', 1894, five or six were received, chiefly from these two 

 localities ; and one occurred about the same time at Peniarth, 

 near Towyn. I was shown a spring upon the margin of the 

 Teifi Bog, which had been frequented by an " Aderyn y Bwn " 

 for some days. The only one received during the present winter 

 was sent from Borth on December 10th. There are stuffed 

 Bitterns at Bronpadarn, Lodge Park, Pen-y-bont-pren, &c. The 

 shooting parties used to meet with about half a dozen in the 

 neighbourhood of Borth Bog every winter. 



Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia. A not infrequent visitor, 



generally to the Dovey. One was shot near Aberystwyth about 



1838. About 1879 one frequented the Dovey for three months, 



and, though often tried for, was never shot. In the autumn of 



1891 Mr. F. T. Fielden had a perfect view of a Spoonbill, which 



he stalked to within thirty yards. A Herring Gull swooped at 



it screaming, and put it up, and to this it owed its escape. Mr. 



Hutchings believes that he has received four at long intervals. A 



specimen, shot by the late Mr. Jeffreys, of Glandyfi Castle, 



about 1855, is still preserved there. It was seen to alight in the 



river in company with seven Sheldrakes. Mr. Chas. Jeffreys tells 



me that on May 16th, 1893, a flock of fourteen Spoonbills settled 



in the river nearly opposite the castle. He watched them through 



a glass running about restlessly on a sandy spit, and wading off to 



a mud*bank, shovelling up the ooze with their bills. They spent 



most of the day here, and were not shot at, but were seen to go off 



towards evening* 



(To be continued. 



