NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 363 



Domain were favourite roosting places for great numbers of these birds, 

 which were usually observed in immatiu-o pliunago. 



Breeding months, September to December, and later in the Tropics. 

 In North Queensland, eggs have been taken in April, even as late as 

 June. These birds are also stated to breed in the mangroves in the 

 Fitzroy River district (North-west). 



714. — BuTORiDES sTAGNATiLis, Gould. — (560 and 561) 

 B. macrorhynclui, Goiild. 



LITTLE MANGROVE BITTERN. 



Figttre. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi., pis. 66 and 67. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxvi., p. 183. 



Previcii- Darriptions of Eggs. — Gould : Birds of .-Vustralia (184S) , 



also Handbook, vol. ii., p. 318 (1865) ; Ramsay : Proc. Linn. 



Soc, N.S. Wales, vol. vii., p. 56 (18S2) ; North : Proc. Linn. 



Soc, N.S. Wales, vol. ii., 2nd ser., p. 445 (1S87) ; North : 



.\ustn. Mus. Cat., p. 322, pi. 18, fig. 6 {18S9). 



Geographical Disfrifmfion. — West and North-west Australia, Nor- 

 thern TerritoiT, Queensland, and New South Wales; New Guinea and 

 Molucca Islands, Timor and Flores, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, 

 New Hebrides and Fiji, Friendly and Society Islands. 



Nest. — Similar, but smaller in size to that of the Yellow-necked 

 Bittern, being a platform of small sticks, placed on forked horizontal 

 branches |0f a bushy tree or mangrove, over water. Diameter, 12 to 

 14 inches. 



^f/</'^- — Clutch, two to three ; elliptical in shape ; texture somewhat 

 coarse ; siu^ace slightly glo.ssy ; colotu', light bluish-green. Dimensions 

 in inches of a proper clutch : (1) 1-68 x 1-22, (2) 1-64 x 1-22, (3) 1-6 x 1-24. 



Ohservatioiis. — It will be observed that this interesting. little Bittern 

 enjoys a goodh' range, its favourite haunts being small islets covered with 

 mangroves and low swampj' points of land .running out into the sea. 



It appeai-s to be now accepted by the latest authorities that the 

 Thick-biUed and the Little Mangrove Bitterns are identical. On this 

 point Dr. Shaj'pe (who examined and described the 120 species of 

 Herodinne^ in the British Museum) states : " I have not been able to 

 discover any evidence of the existence of two species in Australia, so far 

 as my experience of the series in the British Musuni enables me to 

 judge; and I believe that Gould's B. macrnrJii/nrlia is the same species 

 ashis.B. stagnafili-i, being foimded upon young or winter-plumaged 

 specimens. Although in his pictures he has colotu'ed the soft parts 

 differently, I consider these colours to be due to seasonal changes only." 



Gilbert foimd a colony of Little Mangrove Bitterns breeding 

 on two small islets in Coral Bay, near the entrance of Port Essington. 



