256 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
Tolleshunt Major ; and Chigwell. At Motts (or Moats) Farm,
more generally known as "The Buildings," St. Lawrence, there
were for several years two nests on a large elm tree and then
one nest till about 1895, when the Herons attempted to build
but were driven off by Rooks. Two nests were seen at Pitsea
on 19th April, 1901, one only being in use. It is stated to have
bred near Easton in 1916 and 1917 and eggs were taken at Absol
Park in 1917 ?
This completes the account of the colonies which are extinct
and we must now consider those colonies which are or were
recently in existence. There are nine of them and they will be
dealt with in the order of their age so far as that may be known.
The first to be mentioned is that at Wanstead Park. Unfor-
tunately, as is the case with many heronries, we do not know its
complete history. The earliest date for it is 1834, when it was
described as being long established and very populous. Miller
Christy, writing in 1903, stated that it had been established
for a century or more. The heronry was originally situated
on one of the upper ponds, now known as Heronry Pond, but
to-day the birds nest on Lincoln Island. It does not seem to
have been recorded when the change occurred, but Harting in
his article in The Zoologist, October, 1872, states that twenty
years previously the Herons tenanted some trees at a different
part of the Park. In any case this must have happened before
1866, as Harting visited the colony in April of that year when
Lincoln Island was in use. There were then about thirty nests,
this being the earliest year for which we have figures. Some
confusion exists regarding the year of Harting's visit, the account
of which was published in Science Gossip, 1st April, 1869. The
author states that he made the inspection on 5th April, no year
being given. E. A. Fitch in his article "Essex Heronries" in
The Essex Naturalist, v. 2, p. 178, after stating that the
article appeared in Science Gossip for April, 1869, reprints Harting's
article verbatim, but after the date 5th of April Fitch has added
in brackets "1866." I have every reason to think that this
is the year of the visit. I am able to give the number of nests
each year for forty-four years, though they are not consecutive:—
Year Nests Year Nests Year Nests Year Nests
1866 30 1892 56 1913 60 1924 55
1882 40 1893 61 1914 72 1925 46