﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  137 
  

  

  Order 
  HERODIQNES. 
  

  

  Family 
  ARDEIDiE. 
  

  

  Genus 
  ARDEA, 
  Brisson. 
  

  

  Ardea 
  cinerea, 
  Linn. 
  Common 
  Heron. 
  

  

  Although 
  still 
  abundant 
  throughout 
  " 
  Dee," 
  it 
  is 
  yearly 
  

   becoming 
  less 
  so 
  ; 
  many 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  Heron 
  used 
  to 
  

   breed 
  have 
  been 
  deserted, 
  while 
  in 
  those 
  it 
  still 
  frequents 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  nests 
  continues 
  to 
  diminish. 
  The 
  cause 
  of 
  this 
  in 
  

   some 
  cases 
  is 
  not 
  apparent 
  ; 
  in 
  others, 
  however, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   difficulty 
  in 
  the 
  matter. 
  In 
  Aberdeen 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  egg- 
  

   gatherers 
  who 
  range 
  over 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  no 
  

   bird, 
  wild 
  or 
  domestic, 
  are 
  safe 
  from 
  them. 
  Thus 
  within 
  the 
  

   past 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  Heron 
  has 
  built 
  in 
  small 
  numbers 
  in 
  the 
  

   woods 
  of 
  Parkhill, 
  but 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  egg 
  was 
  allowed 
  to 
  be 
  

   hatched 
  ; 
  and 
  now 
  that 
  bicycles 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  most 
  

   people, 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  scoured 
  far 
  and 
  wide 
  by 
  those 
  " 
  egg- 
  

   collectors," 
  who 
  find 
  a 
  ready 
  market 
  for 
  their 
  ill-gotten 
  spoil 
  

   with 
  dealers 
  in 
  the 
  south. 
  

  

  Ardea 
  purpurea, 
  Linn. 
  Purple 
  Heron. 
  

  

  A 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  reported 
  in 
  the 
  Zoologist, 
  

   p. 
  2497 
  (1849), 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  J. 
  Smith, 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  shot 
  in 
  

   the 
  parish 
  of 
  Monquhitter 
  in 
  1847. 
  I 
  am 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  

   M'Boyle, 
  of 
  Peterhead, 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  bird 
  was 
  shot 
  by 
  Mr. 
  George 
  

   Clark, 
  farmer's 
  son, 
  Forvie. 
  The 
  bird 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  James 
  

   Forsyth, 
  policeman, 
  Pitsligo, 
  for 
  preservation. 
  He 
  allowed 
  it 
  

   to 
  go 
  to 
  decay, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Smith 
  identified 
  the 
  bird 
  from 
  its 
  

   feathers. 
  The 
  bird 
  was 
  killed 
  in 
  autumn." 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  foregoing 
  differs 
  considerably 
  

   from 
  what 
  is 
  said 
  concerning 
  the 
  capture 
  in 
  MacGillivray's 
  

   British 
  Birds, 
  vol. 
  iv., 
  p. 
  457, 
  wherein 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  

   bird 
  was 
  killed 
  in 
  March, 
  1847 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  Mr. 
  M'Boyle 
  was 
  

   acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  who 
  shot 
  the 
  bird, 
  and 
  knew 
  

   all 
  the 
  circumstances 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  and 
  is 
  himself 
  a 
  keen 
  and 
  

   accurate 
  ornithologist, 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  accept 
  his 
  statement 
  

   as 
  the 
  more 
  reliable. 
  

  

  