GRALLATORES. 319 



Genus ARDETTA, G. R. Gray. 



This genus has been instituted for the Little Bittern of the 

 British Islands, and several other diminutive species inhabit- 

 ing India, Africa, and America. 



Sp. 562. ARDETTA PUSILLA. 



Minute Bittern. 



Ardea pusilla, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. xiv. p. 433. 



maculata, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. Ixiv, young. 



Spotted Heron, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 305, young. 

 Ardeola pusilla, Bonap. Conipt. Rend, de I'Acad. Sci., torn, xliii. 

 seance du 2 Aout 1856. 



Ardetta pusilla, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. vi. pi. 68. 



The Minute Bittern is a very rare species, and at present 

 nothing whatever is known respecting it. During my sojourn 

 in the country I ascertained that the few individuals known had 

 been procured between Sydney and Botany Bay. I have fre- 

 quently had occasion to allude to the beautiful manner in which 

 many birds peculiar to Europe are represented in Australia by 

 other closely allied species, and the present bird forms another 

 case in point, since it is clearly a representative of the Little Bit- 

 tern {Ardetta minuta) of this part of the world, which it much 

 resembles in the style of its plumage, but is of a still smaller 

 size. This is another of the species, therefore, to which I 

 would direct the attention of residents in its native country, 

 with a view to their making known the result of their observ- 

 ations for the promotion of ornithological science. 



The sexes differ considerably from each other, the female 

 being mottled and of a smaller size than the male. 



The male has the crown of the head, back, and tail bronzy 

 greenish black ; front of the neck buff, gradually passing into 

 rich deep chestnut on the sides of the head and back of the 

 neck ; down the centre of the chin and neck in front a broad 



