BITTERN. 
203 
We think that if the birds which visit certain districts, 
such as the swamps of the Avon Valley, in the winter, 
were allowed to be undisturbed, a proportion of them 
might be tempted to remain again to nest and eventually 
to re-establish themselves among our resident birds. There 
are numerous records of this species from all parts of the 
county. 
Mr. Corbin, in the " Zoologist" for 1892, records some 
eight or nine occurrences in the Avon Valley between 
Fordingbridge and Christchurch during the winter of 
1891. 
Mr. Sutton Davies notes a pair shot at Stockbridge 
on January i8th, 1892 ^ ; and one at Worthy on November 
nth, 1893.2 
Mr. Smith records one from Avington on January 6th, 
1897.3 
Mr. C. I. Evans informs us that fourteen were shot near 
Christchurch in December, 1899. 
Dr. Loveless, of Stockbridge, killed a pair at Marsh 
Court in 1898, and another was obtained there in 1904. 
In the Isle of Wight,'^ Bury calls it an occasional 
visitor ,and says that E. Peel obtained three specimens ; 
R. Loe has shot three or four ; one was shot at St. Lawrence 
in 1840 ; one in Parkhurst Forest in the winter of 1843-4. 
Mr. Willett records one shot at Atherfield, February 7th, 
1895 ; Mr. Wadham a male at Cowes on November 28th, 
1898 ; a male at Freshwater on January 20th, 1903 ; and 
one procured at Brook on March 24th, 1903, which was 
first seen feeding with some fowls in a farmyard. 
The specimen figured in Yarrell was killed in Denny 
Bog, near Lyndhurst. 
'"Zoologist." 1893. ^"Zoologist." 1894. 
Zoologist." 1897. ■♦"Zoologist." 1845. 
