CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 1 29 



^intle.) A summer resident near Ottawa. Known to build. 

 '#. Nat.) A regular summer resident in Southern Ontario. 

 Xcllwraith) Accidental in Manitoba. {Thompson^ One 

 ecimen taken at Crane Lake, Assa., in June, 1894, by Mr. W. 

 ireadborough. 



Breeding Notes.— At Hamilton Bay, Ontario, it is a regular 

 mmer resident, raising its young in the most retired parts of 

 e marsh. The nest is large for the size of the bird, a platform 

 ing made for its support by bending down the flags till they 

 Dss each other a foot or more above the water-level. The 

 lole afifair is very loose and readily falls asunder at the close of 

 e season. {Mcllivraith) The Little Bittern breeds in Ash- 

 idge Bay, Toronto, and lays five eggs, (fiaine.) 



A bird that is met with sparingly in suitable places near the St. 

 iwrence; for example, at Escott Pond, Leeds Co., Ont. ; the 

 ighbourhood of Gananoque Lake, and around Kingston, Ont. 

 is not a regular visitant ; some years scarcely one is noticed, for 

 is bird makes its presence evident by its peculiar call. The 

 :st is hard to find. I found one at the first-mentioned place, the 

 h June, 1892. It was built amongst a very thick growth of last 

 lar's flags, about eighteen inches above the water, supported by 

 e matted vegetation and formed of the dead flag leaves, but quite 

 y. It contained at that date six bluish-white eggs, quite fresh. 

 lev. C.J. Young.) Not uncommon in all the large marshes in 

 ;stern Ontario. {W. Saunders) 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Two taken in Toronto marsh by Mr. S. Herring in 1867 ; also 

 le set of eggs taken on St. Clair Flats, near Chatham, Ont., June 

 t, 1896. Presented by Mr. W. Saunders. 



1.1. Cory's Least Bittern. 



Ardetta neoxena Cory. 1886. 



Mr. Cory published the description of this bird in 1886 and on 

 ay i8th, 1891, Mr. Wm. Cross of Toronto procured a specimen 

 lich had been shot in Toronto marsh. A second specimen was 

 ken in the same place on May 20th, 1893, by a fisherman named 

 imsden, as recorded by Mr. Mcllwraith, and Mr. Raine inform- 

 . me, in the spring of 1898, that " upwards " of a dozen 



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