262
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
ground, about three quarters of a mile south of the Crouch with
an uninterrupted view to this estuary. With the assistance of
Mr. Bob Jenkinson of Wickford thirty-two nests in eleven
elms were counted. It is impossible to say if all the nests seen
were occupied, but it is probable that most of them were in use.
Eleven herons were seen in the air at one time over the heronry.
The colony was small when started, but has grown steadily
each year. There is a considerable rookery in the rows of elms
immediately adjacent, but there were no Rooks' nests in the line
of trees occupied by the Herons.
There are four records which I do not consider to be accep-
table. It has been assumed from the writings of Morant that
there was at one time a heronry at East Horndon. Although
it may well be that a colony did exist here I am not convinced
that the historian had evidence of its existence. Miller Christy
in Durrant's Handbook for Essex, written in 1887, states, p. 13,
"There are heronries at Birch and Goldhanger" and p. 108, under
Goldhanger, "Here is a Heronry and also a Wild-fowl Decoy."
E. A. Fitch, writing in 1888, and commenting on Christy's state-
ment, states "From enquiries made I think this is certainly an
"error; no heronry has existed there of late years." Christy
was apparently convinced that he had been wrongly informed
for he did not mention the supposed heronry in his Birds of Essex.
The following is a footnote to E. A. Fitch's paper "Essex Heron-
"ries," read in 1888 : "Since this paper was written Mr. Miller
"Christy has informed me that about five years ago several
''pairs of Herons (doubtless a party from Wanstead) came and
"built in the trees round the ornamental water in the grounds
"of Gidea Hall, Romford. It was a very dry summer, and
"the water being very low the Herons were fast exterminating
"the fish when the owner had them shot. None have built there
"since. Probably Mr. Christy will give more detailed informa-
"tion in a separate note. E.A.F." Nothing more was heard
of this. J. E. Harting in his article on the Heron in The En-
cyclopedia of Sports and Games, 2nd Ed., vol. 2, p. 410, after
discussing the nature of the nesting sites of the species, con-
cludes with the words "or amongst reeds as at Tollesbury in
"Essex, where they were formerly numerous." E. M. Nicholson
includes this amongst the extinct heronries of Essex in the
"Supplementary Report on the 'British Birds' Census of