ARDEID.E — THE HERONS — ARDETTA. 73 



tips of primaiy-coverts, secondaries, and inner primaries, rich cinnamon-rufous ; large area, cov- 

 ering middle wing-covert region, pale ochraceous, or buff ; remiges and primary-coverts blackish 

 slate, except at tips. " Bill dark olive-brown above, edges of upper mandible and bare frontal 

 space yellow : lower mandible pale yellow, inclining to flesh-color ; iris yellow ; feet dull greenish 

 yellow ; claws brown" (Aldcbox). Adult female: Similar to the adult male, but the greenish 

 lilack replaced by brown (varying from umber-drab to cinnamon, the pileum darker and usually 



Adult male. 



opaque blackish dusky) ; the buff stripe along outer border of scapulars much broader and more 

 conspicuous, and the stripes on the foreneck (usually but not always) more distinct. Otherwise 

 exactly like the male. Young: Similar to the adult female, but the feathei's of the back and 

 scapular region tip])ed with buff ; the stripes on the foreneck also (usually) more distinct. 



Length, about 12.00-13.50 ; expanse, 17.00-18.00. Weight, about 4f ounces (Audubon). 

 Wing, 4.30-5 25 ; tail, 1.60-2.10 ; culmen, 1.60-1.90 ; depth of bill, .2S-.35 ; tarsus. 1.50-1.75 ; 

 middle toe, 1.40-1.60 ; bare portion of tibia, .45-.50.1 



With a considerable series of specimens before us, we can observe no geographical variations 

 other than the slightly smaller size of skins from Demerara and Tehuantepec. As to colors, no 

 tropical examples are brighter than two males from the eastern United States (1549, Carlisle, Pa., 

 and 1090, District of Columbia). The range of individual variation in color is also very slight, 

 though very great as to dimensions. 



In a considerable series of Least Bitterns from Guatemala, kiudh' submitted to us for exam- 

 ination by Mr. Osbert Sahin, there is a single specimen, which, while agreeing very closely in 

 plumage with the adult nude of the common Xorth American species, is so different in propor- 

 tions as to leave little doubt of its specific distinctness. The tarsi and toes are disproportionately 

 shorter than in .4. exilis, the former measuring only 1.15 and the middle toe 1.12, while the inner 

 toe is just perceptibly longer than the outer, measuring 0.98 against 0.95. The tibise are com- 

 pletely feathered, even more so than in A. involucris. The other specimens, chiefly from the Lake 

 of Dueiias, are all typical -1. exilix, mostly yoimg of the year, evidently reared in the locality. 

 Without venturing to name this bird, we give below a full description.- 



1 Extremes of twenty-one adult examples. 



- Char. Similar to A. exilis, but with the tarsi and toes disproportiouately shorter, and the tibiae 

 completely feathered. Adult S : Pileum uniform black, with a faint greenish gloss ; remainder of the 

 he.id ochraceous, gi-owiug gi-adiially more rufous on the superciliary region ; nape bright nifous, becoming 

 nearly chestnut on the lower portion ; sides of tlie neck like the cheeks. Chin and throat immaculate 

 pure white, the lower part of the latter with a very faint wash of pale buff mediaUy ; foreneck creamy 

 white, with a narrow mesial stripe of grayi.sh brown. Sides of the breast brownish black, the 

 feathers tipped with light fulvous ; remaining lower parts white, tinged with light creamy buff, most 

 distinct laterally ; tibiie deep fulvous ; lining of the wings grayish white, purer white anteriorly, where 

 is a spot of mixed ochraceous and dusky on the carpal joint ; axillars ash-gray ; under-surface of the 

 remiges similar, but deeper. Back and scapulars glossy black, with a faint green reflection, the outer 

 row of intei-scapular feathers edged exteriorly with light buff, forming, when the feathers are disarranged, 

 a somewhat V-shaped mark, defining the lateral and posterior boundaries of the interscapidar region. 

 VOL. I. — 10 



