ARDETTA EXILIS, LEAST BITTERN. 529 



nest of this loird, but several of the Boat-tailed Grakle, and one of the 

 Green Heron, the occupants of all of which seemed to be on friendly 

 terms. When startled from the nest, the old birds emit a few notes 

 resembling the syllable qua, alight a few yards off, and watch all your 

 movements. If you go toward them, you may sometimes take the 

 female with the hand, but rarely the male, who generally flies off, or 

 makes his way through the woods. ***** The food of this 

 bird consists of snails, slugs, tadpoles, or young frogs and water-lizards. 

 In several instances, however, I have found small shrews and field-mice 

 in their stomachs." 



The eggs, three to five in number, are elliptical, or equal at both 

 ends, from l.l'O by 0.90, to 1.25 by 0.95 in size, and white, with the 

 faintest bluish tint. They look very much like pigeon's eggs^ except in 

 the equality of the ends 



34 



