110 ARDEID.E. 



Of irregular occurrence on migration in the British 

 Islands. An inhabitant of Southern Europe and Africa; 

 migratory north of the Mediterranean. 



Genus ARDETTA, G. R. Gray, List Gen. B. App. p. 13 



(1842). 



Ardetta, diminutive of ardea = a Heron, on the analogy of the Italian Gar- 

 zetta, &c. In Pliny the diminutive is ardeola. 



Ardetta minuta. LITTLE BITTERN. 



Ardea minuta, Linnaeus, S. N. i. p. 240 (1766) . 

 Ardea minuta, Naum. ix. p. 194 ; Gray, p. 148. 

 Botaurus minutus, Macg. iv. p. 423 ; Hewitson, p. 315 ; Yarr. 



ed. 2, ii. p. 533 ; id. ed. 3, ii. p. 565 ; Harting, p. 57. 

 Ardetta minuta, Gould, iv. pi. 29 ; Dresser, vi. p. 259. 

 The Little Bittern, Yarr. ed. 1, ii. p. 469. 



Minuta = small, from minuo = I diminish. 



A somewhat rare summer visitant to the British Islands. 

 It breeds in the central and southern portions of the Palae- 

 arctic Region, and winters in Tropical Africa. 



Genus NYCTICORAX, Stephens in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xi. 

 p. 608 (1819). 



Nycticorax = vvKTiKopaZ, a Night-Jar in Aristotle, a Screech-Owl in the 

 Anthology (xi. 186) ; but strictly a " Night-Raven," from vv% + Kopa%. 



^ Nycticorax griseus. NIGHT-HERON. 



Ardea grisea, Linnaeus, S. N. i. p. 239 (1766) . 



Ardea nycticorax, Naum. ix. p. 139, xiii. p. 259 ; Hewitson, 



p. 313. 

 Nycticorax gardeni, Macg. iv. p. 433 ; Yarr. ed. 2, ii, p. 549 ; 



id. ed. 3, ii. p. 581. 

 Nycticorax griseus, Gray, p. 150; Gould, iv. pi. 26; Harting, 



p. 56; Dresser, vi. p. 269. 

 The Night Heron, Yarr. ed. 1, ii. p. 485. 



