AUDEIDjE — THE HERONS. 140* 



Hab. The whole of temperate North America, north to the British Provinces: West 

 Indies, Middle America, and northern Kouth America, to Brazil. Bermudas. 



8p. Chab. Adult male: Pileum, Including slight occipital crest, with entire back, scapu- 

 lars, rump and tail, glossy greenish black, the outer wobs of the outermost row of scapu- 

 lars edged with pale buCf. forming a narrow longitudinal stripe. Sides of the head and neck 

 bright ochraceous, deepening into reddish chestnut on the nape; chin, throat, and foreneck 

 paler, the first sometimes whitish, with a median series of dusky and yellowish butTdashes; 

 the foreneck and chest faintly striped with white and pale orange-buff, the latter pre- 

 dominating; on each side the breast a patch of maroon-dusky, the feathers tipped with 

 paler and suffused with blackish, forming tufts of large loose feathers, partly concealed by 

 the large feathers of the chest; lower parts whitish, washed with pale creamy-buff. Carpal 

 region, greater wing-coverts, lower webs of tertials and tips of primary-coverts, second- 

 aries, and innermost primaries, rich cinnamon-rufous; large area covering middle wing- 

 covert region, pale ochraoeous or buff; remiges and primary-coverts blackish slate, except 

 at tips. "Bill dark olive-brown above, edge of upper mandible and bare frontal space yel- 

 low; lower mandible pale yellow, inclining to flesh color; iris yellow; feet dull greenish yel- 

 low; claws brown." (AtJDUBON.) Adult female: Similar to adult male, but the greenish- 

 black replaced by brown (varying from umber-drab to cinnamon; the pileum darker, usu- 

 ally quite dusky); the buff stripe along outer edge of scapular region much broader, and 

 the stripes on the foreneck usually more distinct. Young: Similar to the adult female, 

 but feathers of the back and scapulars tipped with buff, and stripes on foreneck usually still 

 more distinct. Downy young: Above uniform buff, or brownish buff, beneath dull white. 



Total length, about 12.00-13.50 inches; extent of wings, 17.00-18.00; wing, 4.80-5.25; tail, 1.60- 

 2.10; culmen. 1.60-1.90; depth of bill at base, .28-.35; tarsus. 1.50-1.75; middle toe. 1.40-1.60; bare 

 portion of tibia, .45-50. 



The Least Bittern, although comparatively seldom seen, is an 

 abundant summer resident in marshy localities throughout 

 Illinois, but keeps well hidden among the tall sedges, cat-tails, 

 and other aquatic plants among which it dwells, often permit- 

 ting itself to be almost brushed against before it will take wing. 



Mr. Nelson says it breeds abundantly in the marshes and 

 sloughs of the northeastern counties, where it arrives about 

 May 1, and breeds in June. He always found its nest sup- 

 ported, at from two to three feet above the water, by the 

 surrounding rushes, and describes it as a very frail structure — a 

 thin platform from one to three inches thick, with scarcely de- 

 pression enough in the center to prevent the eggs from rolling 

 out. Small dry pieces of reeds are used in building it. The 

 eggs are usually from two to six in number. If approached 

 while on the nest, the female generally steps quietly to one side; 

 but if suddenly surprised, takes to flight. Each nest is usually 

 placed by itself, but sometimes six or eight may be found in 

 close proximity. 



— F. 



