a. Head and neck reddish brown; body slate-eolor. 



198. KKDDISn EllKKT. 



h. Neck con.«picuoiisly streaked ; body variejjated . ICO. Am. liirrtitN. 

 C. (.'rown slaty or slate-i>liie with sonietiiiies a purplish east. 



a. Wing-eo verts more or less niuryined with rufous. 



199. Louisiana IIkuoj^. 



h. VVinu-covcrtf witliout rufous 200. Little Blue IIeuon. 



I). Crown greenish or bluish blaek. 



a. Wing over 10-00; entire under parts pure white. 



L'02. Hlac'k-cuownei) NiaiiT IIekon. 



b. Wing under 1000. 



A>, Wing-coverts green 201. Little Gueen IIeuon. 



c>. Wing-coverts rufous-cliestnut and butf. 

 c*. Under parts l)utiy, more or less strcaketl . l!tl. Least Bittf.un. 

 (S. I'nder parts rufou.s-eliestnut . 191.1. Couv's Least Bittekn. 

 2. Crown streaked. 

 A. Wing under 1000; upper parts greenish 201. Little Gkeen Heron. 

 £. Wing over 1000; upper parts brownish or blackish brown streaked 

 with svhite. 



a. Upper parts light brown ; outer edge of primaries reddish. 



202. IJlack-cuownei) Nkjut IIeuon (Ini.). 



b. Back dark brown; crown nearly black with white streaks; prima- 

 ries dark slate-color . 203. Vellow-chownei) Night Heron (Im.). 



190. Botaurus lentig^OSUS { Af">ita(/.). American Bittfien; 

 Marsu Hen. Ad. — A glo.ssy black streak on either side of the upper neck; 

 top of the liead and back of the neck bluish slate, more or less washed with 

 butFy ; back brown, bordered and irregularly mottled with huffy, and butfy 

 ochraceous, wing-coverts similarly nuirked, i>ut the ground ■ or grayer; un- 

 der parts creamy bull, tlie feathers all widely streaked w..ii butfy brown, 

 which is finely speckled witli bulTy aud narrowly margined by brownish 

 gray. Im. — Similar, but the butfy everywhere deeper and more ochraceous. 

 L., 28-00 ; W., lu-50 ; Tar., 3-50 ; B., TvOO. 



i?aMf/t.— Temperate North America; breeds but rarely soutii of Virginia; 

 winters from Virginia southward. 



Washington, rather connnon W. V., Aug. to Ajil. Long Island, common 

 T. v., Apl. and Sept. to Nov. Sing Sing, rare S. li., Apl. 11 to Oct. Tt. Cam- 

 briiigc, not connnon S. R., .\pl. IT) to Nov. 



A'lst, of grasses, etc., on the ground in nuirshes. Iu/'Jk, three to five, pale 

 olive-butf, 1-90 x V-Oy. 



The liiltern makes its home in extensive grassy meadows with 

 plenty of water, but in the season of migration may be found and 

 10 



I 



