THE BIOLOGICAL REVIEW. 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



ARDETTA NEOXENA AT TORONTO. 



On June ioth, I saw Cory's Least Bittern rise from the 

 marsh, quite near to me, and flew round across an open piece 

 of water, alighting in the marsh at the other side of the channel. 

 I am sure of the identity, for it was not at any time during its 

 flight, more than fifty yards from me, and rose from the marsh 

 about twenty feet from the boat. 



On August 1 6th, I received a specimen of this bird, shot by 

 Mr. Hume, a few hundred yards from the spot where the above 

 mentioned specimen was observed. The following is a descrip- 

 tion of this bird ; the colors are named from Ridgway's 

 "Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists:" Mature male — 

 Forehead and crown, the feathers lengthened to a crest covering 

 the occiput, lustrous black; lores naked, of a greenish cast 

 soon after death; upper mandible blackish on culmen, shading 

 to greenish black on sides ; lower mandible, ochraceous yellow, 

 with a greenish cast, darker at base and tip; irides, yellow; 

 the ruff, composed of the feathers of chin, throat and jugulum, 

 rich burnt umber, fading into cinnamon on the chin and upper 

 throat, and on the outer edges to a blackish brown, finally 

 becoming black, caused by the outer feathers being black 

 shafted, and tipped and edged with black of a duller cast than 

 the crown and back; back, rump, upper tail coverts and tail of 

 the same rich, lustrous black as the crown; the lesser coverts 

 on the carpal joint, blackish; the others, with the middle and 

 greater coverts, of a dark brown, darker than the ruff; alula, 

 brownish, with a white mark at base; primaries and second- 

 aries, slate color, much paler on the inner webs; tertials, black, 

 like the back; the frontal feathers of the breast, blackish, 

 forming a narrow elliptic mark at the end of ruff; breast, deep 

 brown, shading to dull black on sides; flanks, dull black; 



