ARDEIDai; AEDETTA 89 



much more strongly washed with buffy-yellow, and the bend of the 

 wing has no chestnut patch. 



Iris orange-red : bill yellowish-green, darker along the culmen ; 

 legs green. 



liength (in the flesh) 14*5 ; wing 5'5 ; tail 1-8 ; culmen 1-9 ; tarsus 

 1-65 ; middle toe 1-9. 



Distributio7i. — The Little Bittern is found in temperate and 

 Southern Europe, extending as far east as Northern India ; it is 

 a straggler to Scandinavia and the British Islands. In the northern 

 winter it is found throughout Northern and in parts of Central 

 Africa, while apparently a few birds stray even further south. 



This Little Bittern has been so constantly confused with. A. paycsi, 

 the resident South African form, that it is difficult to be certain how 

 many times it has occurred, but there is an undoubted example of 

 this species in the South African Museum, recently obtained by Mr. 

 Shortridge at Port St. John's, in Pondoland, in January. 



602. Ardetta sturmi. African Dwarf Bittern. 



Ardea sturmi, Wagl. Syst. Av. Ardea, p. 191 (1827) ; Holuh ^ Pelzeln, 



Orn. Sud-Afr. p'. 276 (1882). 

 Cancrophagus gutturalis, Smith, Bep. Exp. Centr. Afr. p. 57 (1836). 

 Ardea gutturalis, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 91 (1843) ; Layard, 



B. S. Afr. p. 310 (1867). 

 Ardetta gutturalis, Ourney, This, 1860, p. 221. 

 Ardetta sturmi, Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 256 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 364 ; 



Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 158 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 198 



(1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 266 ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 441 ; 



Beichenotv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 368 (1901). 

 Ardeirallus sturmi, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p, 291 (1872) ; 



Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 244 (1898). 

 Botaurus sturmi, Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 720 (1884). 



Description. Adult female. — General colour above throughout, 

 iacluding the sides of the face and cheeks, dark slaty-black, a little 

 lighter on the wing-coverts ; below tawny-buff, richest on the breast ; 

 all the feathers with slaty centres, giving a striped appearance 

 throughout ; axillaries, uoder wing-coverts and flanks slaty like the 

 back ; coverts along the bend of the wing tawny-buff ; feathers on 

 the nape and fore-neck elongated and full. 



Iris reddish-brown ; bill almost black, shading into bluish-green 

 at the base, which is also the colour of the skin round the eye ; legs 

 and toes yellowish-brown in front, bright yellow behind. 



