LITTLE BITTERN. 



QRALLATORES. 



533 



MiDEIDM. 





THE LITTLE BITTERN. 



Botaurus minutus. 



Ardea minuta, Little Bittern Heron, PENN. Brit. Zool. vol. ii. p. 18. 



Little Bittern, 



V> V) V> 



Botaurus minutus, 



Ardea minuta, Heron, 



Botaurus minutus, Bittern, 



Ardea minuta, Heron Blongios, 



MONTAGU, Ornith. Diet. 



BEWICK, Brit. Birds, vol. ii. p. 27, 



adult. 



on 



11 M M M *> 



young. 



FLEM. Brit. An. p. 97- 

 SELBY, Brit. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 36. 

 JENYNS, Brit. Vert. p. 189. 

 GOULD, Birds of Europe, pt. x. 

 TEMM. Man. d'Ornith. vol. ii. p. 584. 



BOTAURUS. Generic Characters. Beak as long, or rather longer, than the 

 head, strong, higher than broad, the mandibles of equal length, upper mandible 

 slightly curved downwards. Nostrils basal, linear, longitudinal, lodged in a 

 furrow, and partly covered by a naked membrane. Legs of mean length ; toes 

 long and slender, all unequal, the middle toe as long as the tarsus ; hind toe long, 



