BOTAUBUS STELLARIS 175 



excellent description of one of these colonies at Canton {Ibis, 1861, 

 p. 53). 



In Europe it is almost exclusively a summer migrant, arriving in 

 spring and leaving again in the autumn, but examples are said to be 

 occasionally met with in winter in some parts, and particularly in 

 the island of Sardinia. In Sicily, however, where the species is 

 abundant during the periods of passage, and is said to nest in the 

 south-east of the island, I have no knowledge of its occurrence in 

 winter. 



The Night-Heron frequents marshes and swampy localities to a 

 certain extent, but seems to be far more arboreal than most Herons, 

 and during the day time is chiefly to be found in trees. At night 

 it no doubt also resorts to trees for roosting purposes. The species, 

 though often observed in the day time, is chiefly nocturnal in its 

 habits, coming forth as a rule at dusk in search of its food, which 

 consists of fish, worms, frogs and insects, varied by a little vegetable 

 matter. Its flight is soft and flapping, but fairly powerful. ' Its note 

 is a monotonous croak, uttered chiefly at night. The species breeds 

 as a rule in colonies, either in trees, or among bushes and reeds on 

 the borders of swamps. Its nest is roughly built of twigs, rushes 

 and grasses. Its eggs, from three to five in number, are pale bluish- 

 green, and measure about 52 X 36 mm. 



BOTAURUS STELLARIS (Linntcus). 



BITTERN. 



Ardea stellaris, Liiui. Syst. Nat. i, p. 239 (1766) ; MaJherhe, Faunc Orn. 



dc VAhj. p. 30 (1855). 

 Botaurus stellaris, Staph, in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xi, p. 593 (1819); 



Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxvi, p. 253; Loche, Expl. Sci.Alg. 



Ois. ii, p. 141 (1867) ; Koenig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 265 ; id. J. f. 0. 1893, 



p. 79 ; Whitaker, Ibis, 1895, p. 104. 



Bescription. — Adult male, spring, from North Tunisia. 



Crown and nape black, the feathers of the latter part margined with 

 yellowish-buff ; moustachial stripe blackish-brown ; general colour of the 

 upper-plumage yellowish-buff, the neck vermiculated and barred behind and 

 on its sides with dark brown ; the back thickly striped with black ; quills 

 and tail dull black, barred and mottled with dull rufous-chestnut; under- 



