258 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



the colour of the fore neck, and the whole lower plumage is a yellower 

 fulvous. 



The young have the whole upper plumage yellowish broadly streaked 

 with brown, and the lower plumage white streaked with pale cinnamon. 



Iris yellow ; eyelids and facial skin green ; upper mandible dark brown 

 on the culmen and pinkish brown on the margins ; lower mandible pinkish 

 brown, turning to green towards the tip ; the toes and tibio-tarsal joint 

 pale yellow ; tarsus dull flesh-colour ; claws horn-colour. 



Length 15 inches, tail 2, wing 5*5, tarsus 1*8, bill from gape 2'6. The 

 female is of the same size. 



The Little Yellow Bittern is spread over the whole of Burmah, and is 

 tolerably abundant in suitable localities. 



It is met with over the greater part of India and Ceylon, the Indo-Bur- 

 mese countries, China, Cochin China, the Malay peninsula, Java, Borneo, 

 Celebes and the Philippine Islands. 



This very small Bittern occurs in paddy-fields and other thick cover 

 where the ground is swampy ; it is very shy and seldom observed. I found 

 its nest in August on the bank of the Pegu river, a pad of grass placed on 

 a tangled mass of elephant-grass, and containing four pale green eggs. 



Genus BOTAURUS, Steph. 



623. BOTAUKUS STELLARIS. 

 THE COMMON EUROPEAN BITTERN. 



Ardea stellaris, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 239 ; Jerd. B. 2nd. ii. p. 757 ; Hume, Nests 

 and Eggs, p. 624 j id. S. F. i. p. 256 ; Dresser, Birds Eur. vi. p. 281, pi. ; Butler, 

 S. F. iv. p. 24; David et Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 446; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 114 j 

 Gates, S. F. x. p. 244. 



Description. Male and female. General colour of the plumage ochra- 

 ceous yellow ; the forehead, crown and a moustachial streak blackish 

 brown ; the front of the neck with several longitudinal brown bands ; the 

 sides and back of the neck and the feathers above the breast, the whole of 

 which are very soft, broad and long, finely barred with black ; the whole 

 upper plumage, tertiaries, scapulars, wing-coverts and tail beautifully 

 marked with blackish; quills brown, irregularly banded with rufous; 

 lower plumage boldly streaked with black. 



Iris yellow ; eyelids greenish ; lower mandible and margins of the upper 

 pale green ; remainder of the upper mandible and the facial skin smoky 

 brown ; legs green with a tinge of yellow ; claws horn-colour. 



