417 



BOTAURUS LENTIGINOSIS. THE AMERICAN 

 BITTERN. 



FRECKLED HEROX. 



Heron lentigineux. Ardea lentiginosa. Temm. Man. d' Ornith. IV. 381. 

 American Bittern. Botaums Mokoho. Selby, Illustr. II. 34. 

 American Bittern. Ardea minor. Wils.Amer. Ornith.VIII. 35, PI. 65, f. 3. 

 Freckled Heron. Ardea lentiginosa. Mont. Ornith. Diet. Supplt. 

 Ardea Mokoho. Wagler. Syst. Avium. 



American Bittern. Ardea minor. Audub. Arner. Ornith. Biogr. IV. 296. 

 Ardea lentiginosa. American Bittern. Jenyns, Brit. Vert. Anim. 191. 

 Botaurus lentiginosus. Bonap. Comp. List. 48. 



Length about twenty-six 'niches, one inch of the tibia bare • 

 the upper part of the head greyish-brown ; a light yellowish 

 streak over the eye, a dusky streak from behind it, a broad 

 band of brownish-yellow from the cheek to the nape, and 

 beneath it an oblique band of black; the upper parts of the 

 body variegated with yellowish brown, dark-brown, and red- 

 dish, the margin of the feathers closely undulated and trans- 

 versely barred; the throat white, with brown markings, the 

 fore part of the neck, and the lower parts of the body pale 

 yellowish, ivith numerous elongated streaks of reddish-brown, 

 dotted and edged ivith darker. Young similar, but ivith the 

 colours duller. 



Male. — This species, although much inferior to the last 

 in size, bears a close resemblance to it in form, and is not 

 very dissimilar in colouring. Its body is extremely com- 

 pressed ; the neck long and thick ; the head small, oblong, 

 and much compressed. The bill is longer than the head, 

 moderately stout, much compressed, tapering to the point ; 

 the upper mandible with the dorsal line straight for nearly 



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