560 LEAST BITTERN. 
LEAST BITTERN.—ARDEA EXILIS.— Fic. 263.— MALE. 
Lath. Syn. iii. p. 26, No. 28. — Peale’s Museum, No. 3814; female, 3815. 
ARDEOLA EXILIS. — Bonararte.* 
Ardeola exilis, Bonap. Synop. p. 309. — Ardea exilis, Wugl. Syst. Av. No. 43.— 
Le Heron rouge et noir, Azar. Voy. 360.— Descript. opt. auct. Wag. 
Tus is the smallest known species of the whole tribe. It is com- 
monly found in fresh-water meadows, and rarely visits the salt marshes. 
One, shot near Great Egg Harbor, was presented to me as a very un- 
common bird. In the meadows of Schuylkill and Delaware, below 
Philadelphia, a few of these birds breed every year; making their 
nests in the thick tussocks of grass, in swampy places. When alarm- 
ed, they seldom fly far, but take shelter among the reeds, or long grass. 
They are scarcely ever seen exposed, but skulk during the day; and, 
like the preceding species, feed chiefly in the night. 
This little creature measures twelve inches in length, and sixteen 
in extent; the bill is more than two inches and a quarter long, yellow, 
ridged with black, and very sharp pointed ; space round the eye, pale 
yellow ; irides, bright yellow; whole upper part of the crested head, 
the back, scapulars, and tail, very deep slate, reflecting slight tints 
of green; throat, white, here and there tinged with buff; hind part of 
the neck, dark chestnut bay; sides of the neck, cheeks, and line over 
the eye, brown buff; lesser wing-coverts, the same; greater wing- 
coverts, chestnut, with a spot of the same at the bend of the wing; 
the primary coverts are also tipped with the same; wing-quills, dark 
slate; breast, white, tinged with ochre, under which lie a number of 
blackish feathers; belly and vent, white; sides, pale ochre; legs, 
greenish on the shins, hind part and feet, yellow ; thighs, feathered to 
within a quarter of an inch of the knees; middle claw, pectinated ; 
toes, tinged with pale green; feet, large, the span of the foot measur- 
ing two inches and three quarters. Male and female, nearly alike in 
color. The young birds are brown on the crown and back. The 
stomach was filled with small fish ; and the intestines, which were ex- 
tremely slender, measured, in length, about four feet. 
The Least Bittern is also found in Jamaica, and several of the West 
India islands. 
* Bonaparte proposes the title of Ardeola, as a sub-genus for this species and the 
A. minuta of Britain, They differ from the other (A. rzrescens, 8c.) Small Herons, 
in having the space above the knees plumed, and m the scapularies taking the 
broad form of those of the Bitterns and Night Herons, instead of beautifully length- 
ened plumes. 
Three species will constitute this group, that of America, A. exilis; A. minuta, 
of Europe; and A. pusilla, Wagl. of New Holland. They are all very similar; 
the latter has been confounded hitherto with the others. — Ep. 
