284 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK 



but not so great as an eagle's. The under sides of the 

 wings have a distinct blue shade, but as a rule the wings 

 look gray, with black borders and tips. 



Least Bittern. Ardetta exilis 

 13.00 



Ad. $. — Top of head, back, and tail glossy black; sides of 

 neck yellowish-brown, deepening on back of neck into rich rusty- 

 brown; patch on wing buffy, edged with rich rusty-brown; under 

 parts white, tinged with buffy, unstreaked, a blackish patch at 

 either side of breast. Ad. 9- — Similar to male, but with the 

 black replaced by brown; under parts darker, streaked with 

 brownish. Im. $ . — Similar to ad. $ , but under parts lightly 

 streaked with black. 



Nest, a platform of reeds, fastened to upright reeds. Eggs, 

 white, or greenish-white. 



The Least Bittern is a rather common summer resident 

 of southern New England ; it is rare north of Massachusetts, 



Fig. 83. Least Bittern 



and occurs in northern New England only in the river val- 

 leys. It arrives in May and leaves in August. It is an 

 inhabitant of cat-tail swamps, either along the sea-shore or 

 inland, and of the grassy swamps along sluggish streams. 

 It is very secretive, often escaping observation by stiffening 



