128 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



24th of May apparently being little influenced by the season, 

 just as in the case of the Loon. It also has a preference for 

 the same locality year after year, even though the eggs are 

 taken. The first three nests I found were in small ponds in 

 a meadow nearly surrounded by woods, and were built three 

 successive years in one or other of the two ponds among the 

 flags of last year's growth, in one case floating in two feet of 

 water. The complement of five eggs, once of six, was laid by the 

 26th of May, and in one case incubation had commenced some 

 days previously. The fourth nest I found was in an open, but wet 

 meadow, and the nest was formed of grass in a springy place, 

 very unlike the others. On the 3rd of June the five eggs were 

 much incubated. (^Rev. C.J. Young) 



This species is rather common in the large marshes in western 

 Ontario. It makes a bulky nest in a dry portion of the marsh 

 and lays four or five eggs. {W. Saunders) Breeding in large 

 numbers at Crane Lake, Assa., in the marshes. The nest is gen- 

 erally on old dead grass in one or two feet of water, but one con- 

 taining two eggs partly incubated was found on dry ground on 

 June gth. On the 20th I found many nests but in nearly all the 

 eggs were so much incubated that they were unfit to take. Most 

 of the nests contained four or five eggs. One nest was taken 

 which had five eggs in it, one of which was that of the Lesser 

 Scaup. 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Two mounted specimens taken in Toronto marsh by Mr. S 

 Herring. Three unmounted, one of which was taken at Ottawa 

 by Mr. G. R. White, another at the same place by Dr. Charles 

 Saunders, and another at Banff, Alberta, by Mr. Spreadborough. 

 Several sets of eggs taken in the marshes around Crane Lake, 

 between June 9th and i6th, 1894. 



LXXI. ARDETTA Gray. 1842. 



191. Least Bittern. 



Ardetta exilis (Gmel.) Gundl. 1856. 



A rare summer resident along the Bay of Fundy between Black 

 River and Mispec, New Brunswick. {Chamberlain) Accidental 

 at Quebec. {Dionne.) Rare in the district of Montreal but per- 

 haps more plentiful than we think, as it is retiring in its habits. 



