THE AMERICAN BITTERN. 171 



to differ in all respects. The latter is much the smaller species ; 

 but they both vary remarkably in size. The toes and claws are 

 much smaller in the American bird. The most striking difference 

 in its colour is the black stripe on each side of the neck, which 

 in the specimen before me commences one and a half inch below 

 the eye, and extends for three inches, until, in the shading off of 

 the black, the two stripes may be said to meet at the back of the 

 neck. The greatest breadth of this stripe is one inch. All the 

 feathers of the front and sides of the neck and breast, having (as 

 already described) a dark central stripe, give to that portion of the 

 plumage a beautifully rich and regularly streaked appearance, 

 which is rendered further conspicuous by the entire absence of 

 dusky transverse markings, such as appear there in the common 

 bittern. The whole dorsal plumage is different, and is much more 

 handsome in the American bird than in the other, consisting of 

 a beautiful mixture of brown of many shades and rich yellows ; 

 and, when the light falls upon it, exhibiting reddish violet reflec- 

 tions, reminding us of the same parts in the jack-snipe [Scolopax 

 gallinula) ; a species which it likewise resembles in possessing 

 similar richly and beautifully coloured scapular feathers. The 

 tail-feathers * of the American bird are of a uniform dusky brown 

 — those of the European specimen compared with it have more 

 or less of a narrow stripe of black towards the centre ; the rest 

 being all freckled or mottled with black on a rich buff ground : — 

 the quills of the American species are likewise of a uniform co- 

 lour, while those of the European are barred alternately with black 

 and buff, except at the tips, which are wholly black. Other 

 differences might be pointed out, but those mentioned are the 

 most striking. Temminck describes ' zigzag' markings on the 

 upper parts of the plumage, and on the coverts of the wings ;t 

 but there are not, in the American bittern before me, any markings 

 to which I would apply that term, as there are on the neck and 

 wing-coverts of the European bird. 



" Yarrelfs figure gives a very good general idea of the America 

 bittern; but in two impressions (1st and 2nd editions) examined 

 * The tail-coverts are mottled. f Man. d'Orn. de l'Eur. vol. iv. p. 382. 



