LITTLE BITTERN. 425 



very short, rounded, of ten decurved feathers, which are not 

 stronger than the scapulars. 



The hill is yellow, with the exception of the ridge and 

 point of the upper mandible, which are dusky. The iris 

 bright yellow. The feet dull greenish-yellow ; the claws 

 light brown. The upper part of the head, the back, scapu- 

 lars, and tail are glossy greenish-black ; the sides of the 

 head and neck yellowish-brown ; the rest of the neck of a 

 light ochraceous tint ; the lower parts white ; the sides 

 ochraceous ; the anterior feathers of the breast brownish- 

 black, with yellowish margins ; the lower wing-coverts 

 white. The smaller upper wing-coverts are ochraceous, 

 those next the body dark reddish-brown ; the primary coverts 

 black ; the secondary coverts greyish-white ; the quills black, 

 glossed with green, and toward the end tinged with greyish- 

 brown. 



Length to end of tail 14^ inches ; extent of wings 22 ; 

 wing from flexure 6^ ; tail 2 ; bill along the ridge 2, along 

 the edge of lower mandible 2-^ ; bare part of tibia -f^ ; 

 tarsus 1-J4- ; hind toe -fy, its claw ■j'V ; second toe 1^, its 

 claw -fa; third toe ly^, its claw -^-, fourth toe l^, its 

 claw -j^-. 



Female. — The female resembles the male, but has the 

 tints less intense, and is of somewhat smaller size. 



Habits. — The Little Bittern, which is extensively dis- 

 tributed, having been found at the Cape of Good Hope, in 

 Barbary, the south-western parts of Asia, the southern 

 countries of Europe, and various districts of that continent, 

 extending as far north as Sweden, is rather of accidental or 

 occasional than of regular occurrence in Britain, where it 

 has not hitherto been observed to breed, although many in- 

 dividuals have been found there in summer, as well as at 

 other seasons. Dr. Fleming makes mention of one that was 

 shot at Sanda, in Orkney ; but I am not aware of its having 

 been obtained on any part of the mainland of Scotland, 

 although a few individuals are said to have been killed 

 in Northumberland, Yorkshire, and Cumberland. In the 



