History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

96 BIRDS. CULTRIROSTRES. Ardea.2. A. Garzetta. Temm. Orn. ii. 57—This is supposed to be the species, a thousandindividuals of which were served up under the name of Egrittes, at thecelebrated feast of Nevil, Bishop of York, in the reign of Edward IV. It ispossible, however, that the lapwing may have been there referred to, as themost common bird with a cr - est. On the supposition that this heron was thebird alluded to, it will be difficult to account for the silence of Willoughbyand Ray, in regard to this species being a native of Britain. Merret (Pinax182.) probably refers to this species, as having been sent to him from Wilton.Pennant (Brit. Zool. ii. 631.) once received feathers from Anglesea, which hesuspected to belong to this bird.3. A. purpurea. Temm. Orn. ii. 570.— This species,in its immature state,is the Ardea Caspica, or African Heron, of British writers. A specimen ofthis bird in the Leverian Museum, was stated to have been shot in AshdownPark, near Lambourn, Berks. The late Mr Montagu, in a letter dated 6thJanuary 1814, informed me, " I have just received from a friend a fine specimenof African Heron, shot in Norfolk." It must, however, be regarded asone of our rarest stragglers.4. A. nycticorax. Night Heron. Temm. Orn. ii. 577 A specimen shotnear London, in May 17^2, existed in the Leverian Museum, according toMontagu, who likewise states, (Supp. Orn. Diet.) on the authority of LordUpper Ossory, that another was shot on the Ouse, near Ampthill, in 1791.Bewick mentions another in the Wycliff'e Museum, from which his figure wastaken, (Brit. Birds, ii. 44.) In the immature plumage, this species is the A.Gardeni of British writers ;in which state it was shot by Lord Kirkwall, as itsat upon a tree, near Thame, in Oxfordshire. (Reverend Mr Dickinson, inLinn. Trans, v. 276, and Montagu, Supp. Orn. Diet.)5. A. ralloides. Sguacco— Heron. Temm. Orn. ii. 2. 81. This species is theA. comuta of British writers. An individual was shot at Boyton, in Wiltshire,by Edward Lambert, Esq. in the year 1775 (Linn. Trans, iii. 335.). Another,according to Mr J. Youell, of Yarmouth, was taken on the 20th July 1820,in a net, at Ormsby, in Norfolk. (Linn. Trans, xiii. 617-) The Freckled Heron,A. lerdiginosa, described by Montagu, in the Supplement to the OrnithologicalDictionary, shot at Piddletown, Dorsetshire, by Mr Cunningham,isprobably an immature bird of this species. Lest this should not prove to bethe case, it is considered expedient to give its description in detail. Ternminckappears to regard it as synonimous with A. minor of Wilson's Am. Orn.tab. 65. f. 3. and A. " The length is about 23 inches. Bill 2| inches long tothe feathers on the forehead, rather slender, and both mandibles equally turnedto form the point the ;upper part of the superior mandible dusky sides;and lower mandible greenish -yellow. The head isvery small ; the colouris chocolate-brown, shaded to a dull yellow at the nape, where the feathers aremuch elongated ; the chin and throat white, with a row of brown feathersdown the middle ; at the base of the lower mandible, commences a blackmark that increases on the upper part of the neck, on each side, and is twoinches or more in length; the cheeks are yellowish, with an obscure duskyline at the corner of the eye the feathers on the neck are long and ; broad,with their webs partly unconnected ; those in front are pale-yellow, with broadchesnut streaks formed by each feather having one web of each colour, margined,however, with dull-yellow on the chesnut-side ;some feathers have thedark mark in the middle, especially the lower ones : these are all loose, as inthe common bittern ;those at the bottom of the neck 4 inches long, and hangpendant below the breast the hind neck : is bare ; and the feathers that fallover that part are pale yellow-brown; the feathers on the breast are alsolong, and of a fine chocolate-brown, glossed with purple, and margined withdull-yellow; belly and sides the same, but not quite so bright, the brownmarks becoming speckled ;the vent and under tail-coverts yellowish-white.The back and scapulars are chocolate-brown, with paler margins, minutelyspeckled, and glossed with a tingeof purple in some particular lights.Thecovers of the wings dull-yellow"; darkest in the middle of each feather; themargins prettily speckled"; the first and second order of quills, their greater