HOTAURUS. 45 



is much the rarer of the two species frequenting this district, and this is the first set of eggs I have 

 tai<en for the past two years. I should not have found it had I not seen the bird sitting on the 

 nest." 



The eggs vary from three to five in number for a sitting. They are elliptical or rounded 

 oval in form, white, pale green under the shell, which is comparatively close-grained, smooth 

 and slightly lustrous. A set of three in the Australian Museum Collection, taken by the late 

 Mr. George Barnard at Coomooboolaroo, Dawson Iviver, Queensland, in 1883, measures: — 

 Length (A) i-8 x 1-57 inches; (B) 172 x 1-33 inches; (C) i-86 < 1-58 inches; a skin of 

 the sitting bird was sent with these eggs. A set of four eggs taken by Mr. George Savidge at 

 Smith Creek, Upper Clarence River, near Copmanhurst, New South Wales, on the 3rd December, 

 igo6, measures: — Length (A) 1-7 x 1-4 inches; (B) 173 x 1-4 inches; (C) 1-67 x 1-45 inches; 

 (D) 1-67 X i-37inches. Another set of four taken in the same locality by Mr. Savidge measures : — 

 Length (A) 1-64 x 1-4 inches; (B) 17 x 1-4 inches; (C) i-68 x 1-41 inches; (D) 172 x 

 1-37 inches. 



There is a good deal of variation in the plumage of the young birds from that of the adult, the 

 feathers of the upper parts having paler rufous-brown margins; there is a less amount of straw- 

 yellow colouring on the sides of the necic, the margins of feathers on the fore-neck and chest 

 being very pale buff or white, and the abdomen is pale greyish-brown narrowly margined with 

 bull or buffy-white. 



In liastern .Australia the breeding season usually commences in September and continues 

 until the end of F"ebruary ; in some seasons it is later, Mr. Savidge findmg half grown young in 

 the nest as late as the 2nd l\Iarch. 



Botaurus poeciloptilus. 



BITTERN. 



Ardca pii'cilopl.ila, Wagler, Syst. A v., Arde.\, note sp. 28 (1827). 



Bof.au ni,s austm! is, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. VI., pi. 64 (1848). 



Jiotatirns poiciloptiliis, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. II, p. 313 (1805). 



Botaiirug p(t^cU.optUus, Sliarpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XXVI., p. 258(1898); id., Hand-l. Bds, 

 Vol. I., p. 204 (1899). 



Adult .male. — General colour above dark brown, freckled and marked tvith prde ochreous-yelloiv 

 on the inner upper iviiig-coverts, tipper tail-coverts and mar<jins of the scapulars ; quills greyish- 

 hrown edged externalhj with pale brown ; tail-feathers dark broivn, freckled with pale ochreous-yellow 

 on the margins of their outer ivi'bs ; crown of the head iiwl hiwl-neck blackish-brown, sides of the 

 neck slightly paler, some of the feathers narroivly edged ivith loliily-hrown at their tips ; feathers over 

 the eye and the ear-coverts ochreous-yellow, the latter washed with brown : chin, throat and all the 

 under surface piale ocltreous-buff, the feathers on the fore-neck broadly streaked dou-n the centre with 

 dark broivn, the sides showing the remains of narrow, broken blackish-brown cross-bars, on the breast 

 and abdomen the cetitral streak is tiarroiver ami broken up, especially ou the latter, which is almost 

 obsolete; tliiglis oehreous-bn(f, with narron', transverse, broken, blackish-brown cross-bars ; base of bill 

 and skin around the eye olive ; lower mandible pale green, cuhnen dark brown : legs and feet pale 

 yellowish-green ; iris lilac, uiith a yelloui inner circle. Total length in the flesh. 20 incites, wing 13-8, 

 tail 5'4, bill 3, tarsus 4- 



Adult femalk. — .Similar in plumage to the male, but smaller. Wing 12'5 inches. 



12 



