2498 Birds. 



description before, he resolved on making a present of it to me. Previously, however, 

 to his doing so, he sent it to a neighbouring village to be stuffed : while there it ex- 

 cited general attention and great admiration, people coming, even from a distance, to 

 obtain a sight of it, and all of them declaring that it was the first of the kind which 

 had come under their notice. The common heron, on the contrary, is of daily occur- 

 rence in this quarter, and is in consequence familiarly known to the most careless and 

 unobserving. The person to whom it was sent had occasion to leave his home for 

 some considerable time, before the process of stuffing had been properly completed, 

 and on his return he found, to his mortification, that it had been all but gnawn to 

 pieces by rats. Its remains are now in my possession. The play, in varying lights, 

 of purple, red and green, along its plumage, or, as it was termed, its glancing colour, 

 gave rise to much admiration among those who saw it while fresh and uninjured. 

 From those books on natural history to which I have access, it would appear that the 

 purple heron has not been hitherto recorded as having occurred in Scotland. In all 

 probability a tempest of wind had driven it across from the opposite continent, amid 

 the low-lying marshes of which it is said to be as abundant as its congener, the com- 

 mon heron {Ardea cinerea). — James Smith ; Manse of Monquhitter by Turriff, Aber- 

 deenshire, June 15, 1849. 



Occurrence of the Squacco Heron (Ardea comata) near Penzance. — I expect that 

 we have a good flight of these elegant herons in this neighbourhood. I have seen 

 three individuals to-day in the hands of our naturalist, Mr. W. H. Vingoe. All these 

 are males, one of which exhibits the occipital and dorsal plumes almost fully deve- 

 loped: the other two show the commencement of the growth of the plumes, some just 

 appearing beyond the level of the general plumage, others actively progressing under- 

 neath, as pen-feathers. Another fortnight would have rendered the plumage of these 

 birds beautiful beyond expression ; and I am not without hopes that I shall succeed 

 in procuring a bird in full nuptial livery. Two of the above specimens were procured 

 by James Trembuth, Esq., near the Land's End ; and the other was killed whilst 

 perched on a tree, in the parish of St. Hilary. — Edward Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, 

 May 15, 1849. 



Occurrence of the Night Heron at Stilly. — I beg to report the occurrence of the 

 night heron at Scilly, which I received yesterday from Mr. James, the steward of the 

 Islands. Another example was seen at the same time, and I believe secured. — Id., 

 May 19, 1849. 



Occurrence of the Little Bittern (Ardea minuta) at South Wahham. — A specimen 

 of the little bittern has recently been killed at South Walsham in this county. On 

 two or three successive nights, when sailing on the broad, we had heard a noise in the 

 marsh at the side, resembling the bark of a dog, or more nearly the grunt a paviour 

 gives when dropping his rammer. Though all the party were tolerably well acquainted 

 with the notes of the marsh birds, this was a novelty to us. A marsh-man, however, 

 recognized it as the note of the little bittern, one of which (at present in the possession 

 of Mr. Jacy, of South Walsham) he had shot some thirty years before. I sent him 

 a message offering him a price for the bird, and on Saturday night or early on Sunday 

 morning he shot it, but took it to another person and sold it for the price I had 

 offered, much to my annoyance and disappointment. It is something, however, to 

 have heard this rare bird. When he shot the other it was after several attempts to 

 get it to rise, in which he had failed : he then waited, and about four o'clock in the 

 morning it rose spontaneously. The marsh is very shaky and wet ; but, unless I had 



