664 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — HERODIONES— HEEODII. 



667. 



Fig. 462. -American Bittern. (.From Tenney, after Audubon.) 



BOTAU'RUS. (Late Lat. botaurus, a bittern j said to be not equal to hos-taurus; from 

 the hollow guttural cry ?) Bitterns. Of medium size ; length about 2i feet. Bill mod- 

 erately louger than head, shorter than tarsus, which is shorter than middle toe and claw. 

 Tarsus broadly scutellate in front. No crests or peculiar dorsal plumes ; neck-feathers long 

 and loose; plumage blended, spotty and streaky. Neck in part bare behind. Sexes and 

 young alike. 



B. mugi'tans. (Lat. inugitans, bellowing. Figs. 461, 462.) American Bittern. Indian 

 Hen. Stake-driver. Bog-bull. Plumage of the upper parts singularly freckled with brown 



of various shades, blackish, tawny, 

 and whitish ; neck and under parts 

 ochrey or tawny-white, each feather 

 marked with a brown dark-edged 

 stripe, the throat-line white, with 

 brown streaks. A velvety-black 

 patch on each side of the neck 

 above. Crown dull brown, with 

 buif superciliary stripe. Tail brown. 

 Quills greenish-black, with a glau- 

 cous shade, brown-tipped. Iris yel- 

 low. Bill on the ridge brownish - 

 black, the rest pale yellowish ; a 

 dark brown loral stripe. Legs 

 dull yellowish-green ; claws brown. 

 Length from 28.00 to 34.00 ! extent 

 32.00-45.00! wing 9.50-13.00 ; bill 

 about 3.00; tarsus about 3.50; middle toe without claw about the same; its claw above 

 an inch long. 9 smaller than $ ; but few birds differ so much in size as this species, indepen- 

 dently of sex. Entire temperate N. Am., N. to 58° or 60°, S. to C. Am. ; accidental in Europe. 

 Regularly migratory ; resident in the South. The bittern is a bird of very marked character. 

 It inhabits bog and brake, singly or in pairs ; has a hoarse gurgling outcry of alarm, and a 

 note sounding like the strokes of a mallet on a stake. Nests on the ground ; eggs 3-5, browu- 

 ish-drab with a gray (??o^gi-een) shade, 1.90 to 2.00 long by about 1.50. 



ARDET'TA. (Ital. diminutive of J. rrfm.) Dwarf Bitterns. Very small, least of the whole 

 family ; length about a foot. In form very nearly as in Botaurus. Bill slender. Tarsus about 

 equal to middle toe and claw. No peculiar feathers ; those of lower neck long and loose ; head 

 slightly crested. Colors of back in large areas. Sexes dissimilar ; young similar. There are 

 several species of these queer little herons, of America and the Old World ; they mostly inhabit 

 reedy swamps, and somewhat approach rails. 



A. exi'lis. (Lat. exilis, for exigilis, exiguous, slight, small.) Least Bittern. Adult $ 

 with the slightly crested crown, back, and tail, glossy greenish-black. Neck behind, most of 

 the wing-coverts, and outer edges of inner quills, rich chestnut ; other wing-coverts brownish- 

 yellow. Front and sides of neck, and under parts,'bro\\Tiish-yellow, varied with white along 

 the throat-line, the sides of the breast with a blackish-brown patch. Bill mostly pale yellow, 

 the culmen blackish; lores light green; eyes and toes yellow; legs green, the hinder scales 

 yellow. 9 with the black of the back entirely, that of the crown mostly or wholly, replaced 

 by rich purplish-chestnut; the edges of the scapulars forming a brownish -white stripe on either 

 side. Length 11.00-14.00 ; extent somewhere about 18.00 ; wing 4.00-5.00 ; tail, bill, tarsus, 

 middle toe and claw, each, 2.00 or less. U. S. and Brit. Provinces, common ; migratory ; 

 resident in the South ; breeds throughout its range. Found also in W. I. and C. Am. Inhabits 

 reedy swamps and marshes, such as rails frequent; nest on ground or in bush or reed patch. 



