SQUACCO HERON. 



ARDEA RALLOIDES, Scop. 



Ardea ralloides, Scop. Ann. I. Hist. Nat. p. 88, no. 121 



(1769) ; Yarr. ed. 4, iv. p. 191 ; Dresser, vi. p. 251. 

 Ardea comata, Naum. ix. p. 120, xiii. p. 258. 

 Botaurus coinatus, Macg. iv. p. 428. 



Heron cr abler, French; Schopf-Reiher , German; Garza 

 cangrejera, Spanish; Oroval, Valencian. 



This very beautiful species is only an occasional 

 straggler to the British Islands, some forty or more 

 records of its appearance therein having appeared at 

 the time of the publication of the article relating to it in 

 'YarrelV 4th ed. pt. 26, December 1884. Most of 

 these occurrences took place during the months of 

 May, June, and July, and the majority of the birds 

 captured were in immature plumage. I first made the 

 acquaintance of this species on the shores of the Lake of 

 Geneva in May 1851, when a few appeared in the 

 neighbourhood of Lausanne ; but it was not till the 

 month of March 1857 that I ever met with the Squacco 

 Heron in any considerable number. About the end 



