. ANNOTATED LIST. 43 



(64) 190. Botaurus lentiginosus (Montag.). American 

 Bittern. — A common migrant and uncommon summer resident. 



April 6 to November 10. 



(65) 191. Ardetta exilis (Gmel.). Least Bittern. — A 

 common summer resident. It breeds in all the reedy marshes 

 of the State. ^ There is a record for early arrival, March i, 

 1881, at Providence,^ and also a winter record for February 28, 

 1881.' 



March i to September 3. 



(66) 194. Ardea herodias Linn. Great Blue Heron. 

 Crane. — Common migrant, seen feeding during migrations along 

 the rocky shores and about the inland ponds. 



April 17 to 30. July 15 to October 16. 



(67) 196. Ardea egretta Gmel. American Egret. — A 

 bird was shot on Prudence Island, August 17, 1888,* in "the col- 

 lection of Brown University, another was shot ,by Mr. E. W. 

 Champlin, in a cedar swamp, at Ocean View, on June i, 1893,° 

 and Mr. H.. S. Hathaway writes that "after a severe northeast 

 storm one was shot near Tiverton Four Corners on October 12, 

 1894, now the property of Mr. S. W. Williams of Providence," 

 and one was also killed near Newport in 1896. Mr. Hathaway 

 also writes " that an adult male has lately come into his pos- 

 session, shot on the Sakonnet River at Tiverton, by an Italian 

 farmer, on August 15, 1899. Mr. Newton Dexter writes in 

 regard to a rumor of the possible breeding of this species in the 

 State, " Five years ago this summer (1894) I noted a pair of 

 Egrets in early June, which were every day to be seen about 

 Narrow River and Wesquage Pond (Narragansett Pier). On 

 the northwest side of the pond is a dense swamp, or was then, 

 and the birds frequented that. The pond was then under the 



'O. & O., Vol. 5, No. 10, p. 78. 



^ Nut. Orn. Club Bull., Vol. VI, No. 3, p. 186. 



'O. & 0., Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 8. 



Coues and Stearns, New Eng. Bird Life, Part II, p. 274. 



< O. & O., Vol. 14, No. 4, p. 63. 



"O. & O., Vol. 18, No. 6, p. 94. 



