BOTAURUS. 127 



on side of neck; lower parts ncarlj' inimuculute; winu; 10.10, culnion 

 3.25, tarsus 3.75, middlo too 3.75. Hub. Tropical America, north to 

 Nicaragua. 



B. pinnatus (Wagl.). South American Bittern.' 

 «'. Size vor}- small (wing loss than 6.00); sexes more or less diflTerent in color (ex- 

 cept in ^1. ('n(;o/((«-/,s.?), and young appreciably ditt'erent from adults. (Sub- 

 (11.) genus Ardetta Gray.) 



6'. Upper parts not conspicuously striped ; adult males with top of head, 

 back, scapulars, rump, and tail uniform glossy black. 



c'. Quills tipped with cinnamon-rufous, or pale cinnamon ; adult male with 

 a distinct narrow stripe of buft" along each side of back. 



Adult male: Sides of head and neck ochraceous, deepening into 

 chestnut on hind-neck ; chin, throat, and fore-neck whitish, 

 striped with pale buff; central portion of wing-covert region 

 buff, surrounded bj- cinnamon-rufous ; lower parts buff-whitish. 

 Adult female : Similar to the male, but black replaced by brown, 

 and scapular stripes much broader. Young: Similar to adult 

 female, but feathers of back and scapulars tipped with buff. 

 Length 12.00-14.25, wing 4.30-5.25, culmen 1.60-1.90, tarsus 

 1.50-1.75, middle toe 1.40-1.60. Eggs 1.20 X -93, white, or 

 greenish white. Mab. Whole of temperate North America, and 

 tropical America south to Brazil. 



101. B. exilis (Gmel.). Least Bittern. 



c'. Quills without rufous or cinnamon tips ; adult males without trace of 



lighter stripe along sides of back. 



d\ Adult male: Lower tail-coverts dull black; wing-coverts rich 



chestnut; neck similar, the lower parts more rufous; length 



(skin) 10.80, wing 4.30-4.60, culmen 1.80-2.00, tarsus 1.40-1.65. 



Hah. Florida, Ontario, ilichigan, etc. 



191.1. B. neoxenus (Cory). Cory's Least Bittern.' 

 d"-. Adult male: Lower tail-coverts white ; wing-coverts pale grayish 

 buff, becoming nearly white on greater coverts ; neck similar, 

 but darker and more tinged with buff; lower parts pale buff}-, 

 becoming white medially and posteriorly. Adult female : Back, 

 scapulars, and rump umber-brown, streaked narrowh* with 

 buffy (except on lower back and rump) ; rest of plumage much 

 as in adult male, but more decidedly buffy, the fore-neck con- 

 spicuously striped, the sides, etc., more narrowly striped, or 

 streaked. Length about 12.00-13.00, wing 5.50-5.S0, culmen 

 1.75-1.85, tarsus 1.60-1.70. Jfab. Europe, etc. 



B. minutus (Linn.). European Least Bittern. s 

 '''• ^'ppor parts conspicuously striped with black and ochraceous ; quills broadly 



• Ardea pinnaln " LlCHT." Waol., Isis, 1829, 6fi3. J}nlaurm pinnnlut Grat, Gen. B. iii. 1847,557. 

 ^Ardella neoxena CoRr, Auk, iii. April, ISSr,. 262; ib. ,Iuly, 1888, 408. 



* Ardea miniita Ll.lX., S. N. ed. 12, i. 1766, 24U. Bolaurut miiiutua BoiE, Isis, 1822, 559. 



