AUDEID/E— TUE HERONS. 140* 



Had. Tho whole of tcnipornto North America, north to the Briti'^h Provincos; West 

 Indies, Midiilo America, ami northern South America, to Brazil. Bermudas. 



Sp. Chab. A(hilt male: I'lleum. Including slight occipital crest, with entire back,soapu- 

 lars, rump and lail, elossy greenish black, the outer webs of the outermost row of scapu- 

 lars edged with pale bud. forming a narrow longitudinal stripe. Sides of the head and nock 

 bright oohraccous, deepening into reddish chestnut on the nape; chin, throat, and foreneck 

 paler, the first sometimes whitish, with a median series of dusky and yellowish butt dashes; 

 the foreneck and chest fuintly striped with white and pale orange-buff, the latter pre- 

 dominating: on each side the breast a patch of maroon-dusky, the feathers tipped with 

 paler and snllused with blackish, forming tufts of largo loose feathers, partly concealed by 

 the large feathers of the chest; lower parts whitish, washed with pale creamy-buff. Carpal 

 region, greater wine-coverts, lower webs of tcrtials and tips of primary-coverts, second- 

 aries, and innermost primaries, rich cinnamon- rufous; largo area covering middle wing- 

 covert region, pale ochracreous or buff; remiges and primary-coverts blackish slate, except 

 at tips. "Bill dark olive-brown above, edge of upper mandible and bare frontal space yel- 

 low; lower mandible pnleyellow, inclining to flesh color; iris yellow; feet dull greenish yel- 

 low; claws brown." (.■VuDUBON.) Adult female.: Similar to adult male, but the greenish- 

 black replaced by brown (varying from umber-drab to cinnamon; the pileum darker, usu- 

 ally auite dusky): the buff stripe along outer edge of scapular region much broader, and 

 the stripes on the foreneck usually more distinct. Young: Similar to the adult female, 

 but feathers of the back and scapulars tipped with buff, and stripes on foreneck usually still 

 more distinct. Doicnii young: Above uniform buff, or brownisli buff, beneath dull white. 



Total length, about 12.OU-13.50 inches; e.ttent of wings, 17.00-18.00; wing, •i.!i0-,'i.'25 ; tail. 1.00- 

 2.10; culmen, 1.60-1.90; depth of bill at base, .28-.35; tarsus, 1.50-1.7i; middle toe. 1.40-1.60; bare 

 portion of tibia, .45-.50. 



The Least Bittern, altliouf^-h comparatively seldom seen, is an 

 abundant summer resident in marshy localities throughout 

 Illinois, but keeps well hidden among the tall sedges, cat-tails, 

 and other aquatic plants among which it dwells, often permit- 

 ting itself to be almost brushed against before it will take wing. 



Mr. Nelson says it breeds abundantly in the marshes and 

 sloughs of the northeastern counties, where it arrives about 

 May 1, and breed.s in June. He always found its nest sup- 

 l)orted, at from two to three feet above the water, by the 

 surrounding rushes, and describes it as a very frail structure — a 

 thin platform from one to three inches* thick, with scarcely de- 

 jiression enough in the center to prevent the eggs from rolling 

 out. Small dry pieces of reeds are used in building it. The 

 eggs are usually from two to six in number. If approached 

 while on the nest, the female generally stops quietly to one side; 

 but if suddenly surprised, takes to fli<>ht. Each nest is usually 

 placed by itself, but sometimes six or eight may be found in 

 close proximity. 



