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ARDEA EXILIS— WILSON. 



LEAST BITTERN. 



Least Bittern, Ardea exilis, Wils. Amer. Orn. 

 Ardea exilis, Bonap. Syn. 

 Least Bittern, Ardea exilis, Nutt, Man. 

 Least Bittern, Ardea exilis, Aud. Orn. Biog. ' 



Specific Character — Bill slender, tapering to an acute pointy 

 length from the corner of the mouth to the end two inches and an 

 eighth ; the ridge of the upper mandible black, the sides and the 

 lower mandible yellow ; length of tarsi one inch and three-eighths. 

 Adult male with the bill rather slender, yellow — the ridge black, 

 and sharply pointed ; the feathers on the upper and hind part of 

 the head rather long ; crown greenish-black ; sides of the head 

 and part of neck light chestnut ; back glossy greenish-black ; wing 

 coverts brownish-yellow; quills purplish-gray, tipped with yellow- 

 ish brown ; secondary coverts light chestnut ; inner secondaries 

 broadly margined with the same ; throat and fore neck reddish 

 white ; fore part of breast, under the elongated feathers, blackish 

 brown ; rest of the lower parts reddish-white ; tail feathers green- 

 ish black ; lower portion of tibia naked ; feet yellow. Length 

 thirteen inches, wing four and five-eighths. Female smaller, with 

 the plumage duller. 



This species — more common at the South — is during the summer 

 months distributed throughout the country. It is usually found 

 among the tall grass and reeds along the margins of fresh water 

 streams. A few have been procured on the salt meadows near 

 Babylon ; and on the Hanover meadows, near Pine Brook, New 

 Jersey, it is not uncommon. It is also occasionally shot along the 

 borders of the Hackensack River. A superb specimen that was 

 shot at Gowanus, a few miles from the city of Brooklyn, is now in 

 the possession of Mr. Brasher, who informs me that on the four- 



