LEAST BITTERN". 
303 
sides of the neck that enclose it behind ; wings and tail dark glossy 
green, tipped and bordered with yellowish white; legs and feet yellow, 
tinged before with green, the skin of these thick and movable ; belly 
ashy brown ; irides bright orange ; crested head very dark glossy green. 
The female, as I have particularly observed, in numerous instances, 
differs in nothing as to color from the male ; neither of them receive the 
lona' feathers on the back during the first season. 
There is one circumstance attending this bird, which, I recollect, at 
first surprised me. On shooting and wounding one, I carried it some 
distance by the legs, which were at first yellow, but on reaching home, 
I perceived, to my surprise, that tbey were red. On letting the bird 
remain some time undisturbed, they again became yellow, and I then 
discovered that the action of the hand had brought a flow of blood into 
them, and produced the change of color. I have remarked the same in 
those of the Night Heron. 
Species VI. ARDEA EXIL1S. 
LEAST BITTERN. 
[Plate LXV. Fig. 4.] 
Lath. Syn. ill., p. 66, No. 28. 
Tins 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 uncom- 
mon bird. In the meadoAvs of Schuylkill and Delaware below Phila- 
delphia, a few of these birds breed every year, making their nests in the 
thick tussocks of grass, in swampy places. When alarmed they seldom 
fly far, but take shelter among the reed's 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 
