■flw 



ARDEID.E — THE HERONS — ARDETTA. 



73 



tips (if priiimry-covertf, Hecondarit's, and inner iirininritw, rich iinniin»on-rufou>< ; liirgii arun, cov- 

 iiiiij,' niiihlle wing-covi'i't n';,'icin, pale oi'limccMtus, i>r Imfl' ; irniij,'cs and i)riinaiy-i.'iivi'it.s blackisli 

 r-hU; L'xci'jit at tips. " Rill dark (ilivc-browii almvi', I'dgus ol" ujiikt nmiidilili- and liaru I'nmtal 

 siiiii'f yi'llitw ; lowtT nianiliMi- )ialc yfllow, imliiiin}; to lli'sh-cclur ; iris yi-llow ; t'ot't dull j,'ri'i'nisli 

 yrlliiw ; ilaws lirown " (AiDinox). Aihill fi imili : Similar to tlio ailult niuli-, l>ut tin- j,'r(rnisli 

 M.K k niiLaed by brown (varyinj,' from umbur-drab tu cinnanion, tiif iiikuni diirkur and usually 



Adult male. 



opiuiui' Maokish dusky) ; tliu buff strijM) alunj,' outiT boiilur of .scaitulars inurh broadt-r antl more 

 fdii-piiuoii-i, and till' striiH's on tlie fDrfnt'ek (usually but not always) nioro distinct. OtliiTwise 

 ixiiiiiy like lilt' mall'. Yimmi : Similar to tin; adult I'l'malt-, but tin' fi'atlii'rs of tlie back and 

 scapular iv;;ioii tipped with buff; the strijics on the foreneck also lu.sually) more distinct. 



Li'n|,'tli, about I2.<H>-I:}.50; expanse, l7.tM>-|>H.(Kt. Wei^dit. about -JJ ounces (AfULBox). 

 Will.:,', I.IU)-") J-) ; tail, l.fiO-i'.lO ; culnieli, I.CH-I.IMI ; depth of bill, .-.N-.U.-, ; tarsus. I..'>()-1 .75 ; 

 iiiiililie toe, 1. K»-I.<i(> ; baiv portion of tibia, .4."»-.."»(>.i 



Willi a considerable scries of specinien.s before us, we can observe no }{co^'raphical variations 

 other than the slij,'hlly smaller si/e of skiii-< from iJeiiu'rara and Tehuaiite]M'c. As to colors, no 

 tiiipjral examples are brij^hter than two males from the eastern I'liited States (|.")4!), Carlisle, Pa., 

 Mild imiii. District of ('nliimliial. The rant,'e of individual variation in colv' is also very sli^^ht, 

 tliiMi;,'li very ^iieat as to dimensions. 



Ill a considerable series of Least Bitterns from (iiiateinala, kindly .-iibmilted to ns for exuin- 

 iiiiilion by Mr. Osbert Salvin, tlieix; is a sinj,de specimen, which, while a^ieeiii},' very closely in 

 pliiiiiii^'e with the ailult male of the common North American species, is so dilb'reiit in jiropor- 

 linii> as to leave little doubt of its specifu' distinctness. The tarsi and toes are disprojiortioiiately 

 >lii>rter than in .1. i.r'dig, the fprnier niea.^'urin}; only l.l.'i and the miiliUe toe 1.12, while the inner 

 luc is just jierceptibly lonj;er than the outer, measuring' o.iCs a^;aiiist (>.!».">. The libiic are com- 

 pletely leathered, even more so than in .1. inrnUn-rU, The other specimens, c'lielly from the Lake 

 of Diienas, are nil typical .1. uiUn, mostly youn^ of the year, eviilently ivi.rwl in the locality. 

 Without veiilurinn to name this biid, we ).;ive beUiw iv full ile.-iiiption.'-' 



' K.xlrciucs (if twenty-one adult examples. 



- t'n.vii. .Siiniliir to ./. r.n7/.v, but with the tar>i and toes ()is]ii(i|>()rti(Uiatcly shorter, and the tibiiu 

 ceiiiplrtdy IVatlicrcil. Adidl f. : I'ileiim iiiiil'i)iiii lilmk, with ii faint greenish glos.* ; n'niaiiiclcr of the 

 Iliad (MliiacM'diis, fjrowiiif,' ijiaijiiiilly iiioic riifniis on the siipciciiiaiy rej^imi ; nape bright rufous, U'coiniiif! 

 nearly i hcstiiiit on the lower portion ; sides of tlie neck like the cheeks. Chin and throat iiiiniuciilatc 

 imio white, the lower part of the latter with it very faint wash of pale butf niediiilly ; foiciieck eieaiiiy 

 white, with a niiri-ow mesial stripe of ;,'rayisli biowii. .Sides of the breast brownish black, the 

 reallii'is tipiKil with li^ht fulvous ; rcniainiiif,' loucr pari.' while, tinned with lifjht cr-amy bud', most 

 (lisliiiit laterally; tibiic deep fiilvoiis ; lining of the wind's >;iayish white, purer while anteriorly, where 

 i-i a sjkjI of mixed ochmccous and dusky on the carpal Joint ; axillars ash-griiy ; undcr-siirface of the 

 ivmiircs himilar, but dceiK'r. Mack and scn|iiilars j^lossy blink, with a faint niwu rellection, the outer 

 row of interscapidar featliers edged exteriorly with linht bulf, forininj;, wlnii the feathei-s are disarninged, 

 a somewhat V-shaped murk, dclining the lateral and jiostcrior boundaries of the intcrscajmlar region. 



vol.. I. — 1(1 



