54 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



THE FEMALE LITTLE BITTERN.* 



LENGTH, about fifteen inches. Erom the corners 

 of the mouth, a black stroke extends along the 

 under sides of the cheeks ; a patch of black, glossed 

 with green, and edged with chesnut, covers the 

 crown of its head. On the back, rump, and scapu- 

 lars, the feathers are dark brown, edged with pale 

 rusty-coloured red; sides of the neck, and breast, 

 are of the same colours, but the brown on the 

 middle of each feather is in narrower streaks. 

 Belly white : tail short, and of a black green colour, 

 edged and tipped with tawney: legs, dirty green. 



The above drawing and description were taken 

 from a specimen in the Wycliffe Museum. 



* This bird has hitherto been described as above, in this work. 

 There is now, however, reason to believe it to be a foreign species. 



