11 



LITTLE BITTEEN. 



ARDETTA MINUTA {Linn.). 



Ardea minuta, Linn. S. N. i. p. 240 (1766) ; Naum. ix. 



p. 194. 

 Eotaurus minutus, Macg. iv. p. 423 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 315. 

 Ardetta minuta, Yarr. ed. 4, iv. p. 200; Dresser, vi. p. 259. 



Heron blongios, French ; Kleine Rohrdommel, German ; 

 Garza chica, Garzon pequefio, Spanish ; Gomel, 

 Valencian. 



Although there is a considerable amount of authentic 

 circumstantial evidence in favour of the breeding of this 

 very remarkable bird in our country, I am not aware 

 that there is more than one recorded instance of the 

 actual finding of its nest in England ; the particulars of 

 this occurrence may be found quoted from Lubbock's 

 'Fauna of Norfolk' (1879), at p. 202, vol. iv, of 4th 

 edition of Yarrell's 'British Bii-ds,' and are to the effect 

 that Mr. Thos. Southwell, in a footnote at p. 90 of the 

 foi-mer work, states that Mr. Rising, of Horsey, assiu'ed 

 him that about the year 1822-23 a nest of the Little 

 Bittern, containing eggs, was found close to the parson- 

 age at Catfield, Norfolk. I have been assured, on what 

 I hold to be unimpeachable authority, of the occurrence 

 of young birds of this species in one of our southern 



