LEAST BITTERN. 303 



sides of the neck that enclose it behind ; wings and tail dark glossy 

 green, tipped and bordered with yellowish white ; legs and feet yellow, 

 tinged before with green, the skin of these thick and movable; belly 

 ashy brofl-n ; irides bright orange ; crested head very dark glossy green. 

 The female, as I have particularly observed, in numerous instances, 

 differs in nothing as to color from the male ; neither of them receive the 

 long feathers on the back during the first season. 



There is one circumstance attending this bird, which, I recollect, at 

 first surprised me. On shooting and wounding one, I carried it some 

 distance by the legs, which were at first yellow, but on reaching home, 

 I perceived, to my surpri.se, that they were red. On letting the bird 

 remain some time undisturbed, they again became yellow, and I then 

 discovered that the action of the hand had brought a flow of blood into 

 them, and produced the change of color. I have remarked the same in 

 those of the Night Heron. 



Species VI. ARDEA EXILIS. 



LEAST BITTERN. 



[Plate LXV. Fig. 4.] 

 Lath. Syn. m., p. 66, No. 28. 



This is the smallest known species of the whole tribe. It is com- 

 monly found in fresh water meadows, and rarely visits the salt marshes. 

 One shot near Great Egg Harbor was presented to me as a very uncom- 

 mon bird. In the meadows of Schuylkill and Delaware below Phila- 

 delphia, a few of these birds breed every year, making their nests in the 

 thick tussocks of grass, in swampy places. When alarmed they seldom 

 fly far, but take shelter among the reeds or long grass. They are 

 scarcely ever seen exposed, but skulk during the day ; and, like the 

 preceding species, feed chiefly in the night. 



This little creature measures twelve inches in length, and sixteen in 

 extent ; the bill is more than two inches and a quarter long, yellow, 

 ridged with black, and very sharp pointed ; space round the eye pale 

 yellow ; irides bright yellow ; whole upper part of the crested head, the 

 back, scapulars and tail very deep slate reflecting slight tints of green ; 

 throat white, here and there tinged with buff"; hind part of the neck 

 dark chestnut bay, sides of the neck, cheeks, and line over the eye 

 brown buff"; lesser wing-coverts the same; greater wing-coverts chestnut, 

 with a spot of the same at the bend of the wing, the primary coverts 



