THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 1)9 



a«. Plumage pure white, or nearly so. 



h. Size, large; wing. 14.2.^-10.75. Eokkt, p. lOo 



hb. Size, medium ; wing under 11. 



c. Tips of primaries blue-gray. Little Blue Herox, p. 105 



cc. Entire plumage white. Snowy Egret, p. 104 



add. Plumage with buff and chestnut predominating, crown not streaked. 



b. Size, very small ; wing, 4..SO-5.25. Least Bittern, p. 100 



bb. Size, medium ; wing. 'J.80-12. Bittern, p. OiJ 



aaua. Plumage gray-brown, spotted above with white or buff, crown streaked. 

 b. Primaries rusty on the outer web. 



Black-crowned Night Heron (young), p. 107 

 bb. Primaries slate color, with no rufous tint. 



Yellow-crowned Night Heron (young), p. 108 



190 Botaurus lentiginosus (Montague). 

 Bittern, Stake-driver, Dimk-a-doo. 



Adults. — Length. 24-.34. Wing, 10-12. Above, brown, edged and mottled 

 with buff : top of head, bluish-slate ; a black stripe on each side of. the neck ; 

 under parts, buff, broadly streaked with brown. 



YouiKj ill first summer. — More buff than adults. 



ycst on the ground in marshes ; eggs, three to five, pale drab, 1.95 x 1.50. 



The Bittern seems to be a regular l)ut not abundant migrant along 

 the coast and on the streams and marshes inland. Mr. Babson^ states 

 that it occurs near Princeton April 10th to May 5th and September 

 20th to October 20th, and these dates coincide closely with its occur- 

 rence near Philadelphia, though it has been seen as early as March 

 30th.- It seems to be especially common on the salt meadows in 

 autumn. Specimens have been taken as late as ISTovember 2d, 1894, 

 on the Delaware, at Holmesburg.- and November 19th, 1878, in Cape 

 May county.^ 



It nests in various parts of the State, but is by no means as plenti- 

 ful in summer as during the migrations. Thurber calls it a summer 

 .resident in Morris county, and Messrs. Haan and Callender found 

 nests near Summit May 30th, 1894; May 30th, 1899, and June 30th, 



1907, while Mr. P. B. Philipp states that at least one pair breed 

 regularly at Newton, Sussex county, where he found young June 15th, 



1908. On the Newark marshes Mr. C. G. Abbott found it nesting 



' Birds of Princeton, p. 38. 



= Fowler. Cassinia, 1903. p. 50. 



^Coll. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila. 



