ANNOTATED LIST OF THE BIRDS 125 



been heard pumping in June (Griscom and Weber). April 

 13, 1914 (Bowdish) to May 18, 1919 (Griscom); September 

 25, 1921 (Griscom and Johnson) to December 9, 1919 (Weber). 



LEAST BITTERN (Ixobrychus exilis) Fig. 8. 

 Few of our birds are more secretive and more easily over- 

 looked than the Least Bittern. It prefers dense cat-tail 

 marshes, and it is ordinarily a pure " fluke," if it is seen flying 

 a short distance just above the reeds. As a result, its exact 

 distribution and migration period in the region is unknown. 

 Moreover, it is one of our breeding species which is apparently 

 casual as a migrant away from its nesting grounds. 



Fifteen years ago several colonies were known near New 

 York City, and it was properly regarded as a common summer 

 resident. The territory, however, on Long Island City and at 

 Coney Island is now destroyed. Observers should make 

 particular efforts to discover breeding colonies of this species, 

 as much suitable marsh land remains, which has never been 

 carefully explored. 



Long Island. Formerly a very local summer resident, but 

 locally common. All the breeding stations near New York City 

 now destroyed. Probably breeds on Jones Beach. Casual else- 

 where. (April 27) May 14 to September 12, 1921 at Shinnecock 

 (C. Johnston) and September 21, 1922 at Lawrence (H. F. Stone). 

 Casual December 12, 1895, Long Island City, specimen now in the 

 American Museum. 



ORIENT. Casual transient, June 4, 1907. 

 MASTIC. Very rare transient, May 14, 1916 and August 

 23, 1919. 



LONG BEACH. Casual, May 26, 1918 (Janvrin) and May 

 30, 1918 (Bicknell). 



New York State. Status in our area not fully known. Un- 

 known on Staten Island (Chapin). Still breeds near Ossining 

 (Brandreth). 



BRONX REGION. Bred in the swamp in Van Cortlandt 

 Park in 1918 (Chubb and Lewis), noted first on May 30; 

 reported in July, 1921 in a swamp north of Van Cortlandt 

 (Bernard Fread, a young observer whose testimony in this 

 case was convincing); noted September 19, 1915 at Clason 



