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specimens, as far as can be ascertained, have been obtained in this country, is 

 remarkable, when it is considered how great an extent of country, formerly 

 almost entirely unknown, has been opened up and explored by enterprising 

 colonists during the last ten years. In March, 1868, Mr. Shaw, of Kanieri, 

 one of the Wardens on the West Coast, presented two specimens to the 

 Canterbury Museum, which were stated to have been obtained whilst feeding 

 near a deep, slowly-flowing, swampy watercourse, by the River Kanieii, and at 

 no great distance from the township of that name. From having been obtained 

 at the same time and place, they wei-e supposed to have been a pair, but it 

 appears that no examination was made before the preparation of the skins ; 

 they bear a close resemblance to the description in Gould's Handbook to the 

 Birds of Australia of the male Ardetta inisilla, and are probably both young- 

 males. Subsequently, another specimen of a young bird of this species was 

 obtained in one of the swampy creeks that feed the Okarita lagoon, and was 

 forwarded from the Canterbury Museum to Dr. Otto Finsch, of Bremen. 



The following description is taken from the larger of the two specimens 

 in the Canterbury Museum: — Beak long, higher than broad, almost straight, 

 having but a slight curvature towards the point, measuring from gape to tip 

 2 inches 9 lines; upper mandible flattened on the top, near the base, slightly 

 channeled, nostiils pierced in the groove, defended with membranous process ; 

 legs long, gartered or bare above the tarsal joint for 8 lines ; tarsus 2 inches 

 1 line ; three toes in front, each furnished with membranous fringe on the 

 inner side, two outer toes united with narrow web extending to first joint ; 

 middle toe with claw 2 inches 3 lines ; middle claw toothed on the inner side ; 

 one toe behind, directed inwards, more robust than those in front, with curved 

 produced claw ; toe measuring, with claw, 1 inch 4 lines, of which claw 

 measures 6 lines ; wings slightly concave, 6 inches 2 lines, first feather rather 

 shorter than second and third, which are the longest in the wing ; total length 

 from tip of beak to extremity of tail 1 4 inches ; under part of lower mandible, 

 sides of bill palish yellow, almost white ; edge of mandibles brown ; culmen 

 almost black ; top of the head greenish black ; outer edge shot with bluish 

 black, with a few bi^own feathers receding from forehead ; feathers on the 

 throat and lower part of the neck pale buflf with brown streaks ; side of neck 

 deep chestnut brown, a narrow stripe of the same colour over the eye ; 

 scapularies and back dark brown ; wing coverts bufiy brown, with deep 

 chestnut on the shoulder, a few of the feathers striped down the shaft with 

 black ; edge of the wings coloui-ed with rich brown shaded ; primaries dull 

 black ; thighs pale bufl" with streaks of dark brown, darkest behind ; tail 

 greenish black. 



It is stated that the Little Bittern is so quiet in its habits that it will 

 remain still when approached, so that it Avill apparently almost suffer itself to 

 be taken by the hand. The birds just described were taken alive, it has been 



