18S THE BIRDS OF DEVON". 



many beetles in its cra^. It is said to be entirely a day feeder, hunting 

 for frogs, worms, fish, shell-fish, &c. 



A nearly adult specimen was killed by a gamekeeper of Sir Fred, llogers 

 by the side of a large pond close to the hou.-e at Elachford, near Ivybridge, 

 the seat of Lord Elachford, in June or July 184U (Yarrell's B. Jinds, 1st 

 ed. ii. p. 562, 2nd ed. ii. p. 531 ; 11. A. J.,' Xaturalist,' 1S51, p. 59 ; J. G., 

 Zool. 1873, p. 363); one or two have been obtained on the Tamar (J. 13. 

 II., Trans. Plym. Inst. 1802-3, p. 75). Mr. Marsh-Dunn had a specimen 

 in his fine collection which he obtained from liolitho of Plymouth, which 

 was said to have been obtained at Kingsbridge. The adult male in our 

 collection was killed on Erauuton Marsh on lUth June, 1878 (M. A. M., 

 Zool. 1 878, p. 43.5). 



Little Bittern. Ardetta minuta (Linn.). 



A casual visitor, usually in spring and autumn. 



Hardly a year passes without an example of this tiny Bittern, whoso 

 bod}-, Col. Montagu remarked, is no larger than a i'ieldfare's, being met 

 with in some parts of the kingdom, and it has been very frequently ob- 

 served in Devonshire, more especially in the southern division of the 

 county. In the north of Devon, as is the rule with birds which are 

 stragglers from the continent, it is not so often obtained. "When the 

 Little liitterns first arrive in this country, and this is generally in the 

 spring months, they often seem to be stupified by the labours of migration, 

 as they are encountered in strange places for any Heron to be found in, and 

 have frequently permitted themselves to be caught by the hand while 

 standing in an attitude peculiar to the Bittern family, the neck resting far 

 back upon the shoulders, with the head and beak pointed straight upwards, 

 in which position they not a little resemble a piece of dry wood. There 

 is little doubt that if they could escape molestation some of these small 

 Bitterns visiting us in the spring would nest with us, and it is probable that 

 some have actually done so, and that the young birds of the year, which are 

 occasionally met with in the autumn, may not be migrants, but birds 

 which have been reared in some secluded spots. The skulking habits ot" 

 the Little Bittern, and the thick cover in marshy places in which it loves 

 to hide, are all in favour of its avoiding detection. It is numerous in 

 Holland, where it nests regularly, and is a summer visitor to that country, 

 and also to most parts of Southern Europe, retiring to Africa for its 

 winter-quarters. 



Montagu records three s]3eeiinens from the neighbourliood of Crecliton in the sum- 

 mer of 1S(J8, on the authority of Mr. Comyns. One of them shot in May was a female 

 and contained forty eggs, some considerably enlarged, and as a male was afterwards 

 shot, which had been previously observed near the same plp.ce, it is probable a brood 

 would have been reared had the birds not been shot(Orn. Diet., Suppl.). Dr. E. Moore 

 also mentions two e.\am|)les from North Devon (Mag. N'at. Hist. lo37, p. 319 ; Eowe's 

 Peramb Dartmoor, p. 2'.j\). 



A male and female occurred at Kingsbridge between LS-IO and 184G (H. N., Zool. 

 1847, p. llJ'JD). Two specimens were killed at Flete near Ermington (C. J. C. iJulteel,' 



