American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus: an historic first for Essex
Bittern and assigned number 479 in the Valuations (B). It is also presumed to have been
given number 957.
1845 In Clarke's 1845 Catalogue, both male and female are listed for Bittern. The asterisk
confirmed that all the Museum's specimens of this species were obtained in the British
Isles.
c1845 In Clarke's bird labels/manuscript for the period 1820-45 approx., quoted in Christy
(1890) as reference 24, the first Bittern cited was "One shot at Wenden 1826. in Museum''.
1883 In the 1883 Catalogue (Christy 1883), the 207b Bittern was re-identified and re-catalogued
as 208a American Bittern, provisional identification presumably by Christy. There is
pencilled writing (overwritten later in black ink) for associated notes.
1890 Christy published his "Birds of Essex ", quoting Clarke's manuscript (about 1845) for three
Bitterns in the Saffron Walden area (1826, 1831 and 1849).
cl891 Henry Seebohm visited the Museum and confirmed the identification of the American
Bittern. The original pencilled text in the R.M. Christy 1883 Catalogue was inked over,
quoting 'H. Seebhone' as the authority.
7th April Curator George Maynard's article was published in a local paper, "The Saffron
Walden Gazelle'', confirming various details about this specimen and four other mounted
Bitterns.
1960 Re-numbered:208a=>NB135 and a label was placed on the right leg.
1999 Identification confirmed by Simon Wood, Russell Neave and Nick Green.
2001 Record accepted by the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee: at the time it
occurred, only the second British record.
The Question of Fraud
Location; Wenden is modern-day Wendens Ambo and is the same locality where the W. Davis pre-
1833 and George Webb 1849 Bittern specimens were also shot, the latter still residing in the Audley
End House bird collection.
The Collector/Donor: Jabez Gibson was a well-respected Quaker in Saffron Walden. He was a
founder member and trustee of the Saffron Walden Natural History Society, which housed the society's
collection in Hill Street in the days before the Museum opened in 1835 (Pole 1985). The records in
the first Catalogue of 1832-35 confirm that he donated exclusively local, British birds and Travers
Senior stuffed almost all of these.
The Taxidermist: William Travis/Travers resided at nearby Audley End House, working in the
Menagerie. He was a local taxidermist. Stephen Salmon was shown as artist for two Bitterns (Joseph
Clarke's Norfolk and Thomas Smith's Cambridgeshire specimens) and a number of other specimens
(sec taxidermy label pasted onto page 4a of the Museum's first Catalogue for 1832-35).
The Specimen: Only Joseph Clarke's labels stated a Bittern shot at Wenden in 1826, as quoted by
Christy (1890). Only the Scientific Order (A) in the Museum's first Catalogue stated Saffron Walden,
which is certainly in the immediate neighbourhood of Wenden (Clarke 1845). The references are
consistent with the donor Jabez Gibson, the artist Travers, the cost £1 0 0 as part of a batch and the
sex being female. There is a remote chance of it being imported/ship-assisted or being an escaped
bird from captivity. The pertinent taxidermy label "Travers & Incidents" referred to all English birds
that were all shot locally and stuffed by William Travis/Travers for J.G. (Jabez Gibson). G.N.
Maynard's 1892 newspaper article confirmed that the specimen was simply placed among the
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 19 (2002)