74 



ALTlllCI VL (IHALl.ATOHKS - IlKlinDloNKS. 



Tlir Least liittt'in has an cxtciiilcd distiilnitiitii. \tv\n<i idiind vciy nt-arly tlir('Uf,'li- 

 oiit the I'liitcd States, and tmlv not roiiiiil. so lar as we art' awair. in the inon- 

 Dortlicrly and fastern iiditions. It lias not licen nn't with li.v Mr. ISoanhaan near 

 Cahiis, it is not iMchuh'd liy Mr. Vrrrill as a iiird ol' Oxlord Cuiintv, and is nicn- 

 tioni'd as rare even in Sontlicrn Maine, and is chisscd as very rare hy Mr. Allen, 

 near Sprinj^dield. .Mass. Like all ntietiirnal liirds. and mure espeeially those speeies 

 that shelter theiuselve.s in the day-time anionj,' the rank ^ra.ss and rnshes, it 

 is jirolialily hy no means .so rare, in many jilaees, as has lieen supposed. It feeds 

 exelnsively in tiie nif,'ht-time. and is rarely seen liyin.y; dnrinj; the day. It is not 

 uncommon in eastern Massaehusetts, iireedin;,' in Fresh I'ond marshes, wheic 

 Mr. \Vm. Itrewster has met with it iN)th in .May and in .Inly, (iiraud inelndes it 

 amon^' tiie liirds of Lon^' Island, where it is usually found hidden in the tall }.;rass 

 and reed.s, altui},' the niar>,'ius of freshwater streams. .\ few were secured amon;^' 

 the salt meadows near IJaliylon. .md on tin- Hanover .Meadow m-ar I'ine Urook. It 

 has also lieeii occasionally found on the hanks of the llackensack. Specimens are 

 recorded as havii, ' 'cn taken near the city of l>rooklyn. and others in a swamji 

 lU'ar Fort Hamilton In the latter place yoiuin hird.s. still unahle to tly. were cap- 

 tured. In the Western States it is ninch niori- aimndant. and in Canada, especially 

 in the nei^hhorhood of the (ireat Lakes. Mr. .Mcllwiaitii mentions it as a common 

 sunnner resident near Hamilton, and .Mr. Kundien has found it iireedin^' in ahun- 

 dance around Lake Koskonon^,'. in Wisconsin. It appears to he resident in Texas 

 and in Northeastern .Mexico. Mr. Hresser met with it. in .Inly and Auj,'ust. in 

 the neij,'hl>orhooil of Matamoras. and occasionally saw it in the vicinity of San 

 Antonio. Mr. Salvin mentions it as found in (iuatemala. hut whether as a winter 

 visitant or a resident, he does not state. He found it lioth at Muenas ami at 

 (Johan. 



It is also found in several of the West India Islands. In Cidia it is ^iveii hy 

 Dr. (Sundlach as a resident throii,y;huut the year, and its hreedinj,' is inferred. It 

 is mentioned hy (Josse as anumjj; the hirds id' .lamaica, where it is not unfreipiently 

 seen dod},'ini,' aliout the edj,"'s of the tall r<'eds of the morasses, or anion;,' thi' rank 

 8('df,'y >,'ra.ss that horders the streams. When alarnu'd. it does not \isually Hy. Imt 

 darts into the rushy covert, where the thinness (d' its form enaiiles it to make its 

 way with ease. U'hen surprised in an open jilace it crouches, as if expecting' tt) 

 escape ohservation. In its stomach are found small fishes and crustacea. In 

 .lamaica it is called, according to March, the ••Tortoise-shell IJittern." Leotaud 

 names it as one (d' the hirds of Trinidad; hut how <-ommon it is in that island he 

 was not aide to statt". It keejis dose amon;.^ the reeds whiidi cover the Hooded 

 re^'ions, and is proliahly (piite almndant ; althou,i,di rarely seen, on account of the 

 dilliculty of discovering' it in the midst of its retreat. It occasionally apiiroaclies 

 the edp's of narrow watercourses, to fish for the small fry on which it feeds. Its 

 flij^ht is very feelile. and not well sustained. It nests in Trinidad, ami has iiecn 

 ohserved there at all seasons of the year. 



Dr. Cooper speaks of it as common amon.i,' the !,'reat fresh marshes of the interior 



l<utni>, ujiiKT tiiil-oovcrtH niul liiil, iiiiifcuiii |iliinilM>nii8-1ilai'k. Anfcrinr iiml oiitiT lesser wiiiK-i'iiverts. 

 inner sei'oncliuiis (nuter welis) and ^.'reatir winK-inviTls, iinil'nrin cinniininn-nifDii^ ; iH)steriiii', lesNor, iiuil 

 all of tfie niiilille win^'-cKVcits. li",'lit ijiayisli laill' (inucli |iiilir tliaii in r.ri/is) ; linked with (lii'per '.^ilV, 

 tlie f^niyisli lints minutely freckled. Primary -enverts and remiguH Maty jihimbeoiis, ii|i|M'il wifli lifjlit 

 cinnanioM-nifoiis. 



Winn, J-""; ''"1 1". 1-"S : deptli of l.ill, tlirouj;li nostril, .32; tarsus, 1.1.1; middle toe, 1.12; 



Inner toe, .its ; miter, .tt.1 ; liallux, ..18. 



