170 
AEDEID^. 
of Europe and North America/ makes Montagues Ardea lentigi- 
nosa, distinct from the American bird {A. minoTy Wilson), with 
which, however, as described by Dr. Eichardson, the one killed 
in Ireland is perfectly identical in species. It agrees so well with 
the ^ description of a male killed on the Saskatchewan plains, 
8th July 1827/* that all the details of colour and markings 
equally apply to this example, except in the few following very 
trivial points : — 
“ The feathers on the vent and under tail-coverts being very sparingly dotted with 
brown towards the shafts instead of being ‘ unspotted ; ’ the long feathers on the 
front and sides of the neck and breast having the central stripe of mottled clove-brown 
bordered with a blackish line which imparts to them a beautiful finish ; outside of it 
is a line of deep yellow shading off gradually to a lighter tint at the margin. In every 
character of form the bird before me agrees with that description, except in having a 
slight development of web between the outer and inner toe, instead of being ‘ quite 
free ’ of such ; and in the first quill being the longest instead of the ‘ second and 
third ’ — the first exceeds the second, as the second does the third, by not more than 
one line of an inch) in length. It may be added that the third exceeds the 
fourth by 1-| line, and the fourth the fifth by 6 lines ; and that these quills present a 
very interesting gradation in form from the first, which is pointed, to the fifth, that 
is quite square at the tip. Like the nine birds examined by Dr. Richardson, it pos- 
sesses just ten tail-feathers. Wilson attributes twelve to A. minor. Two specimens 
could not be expected to resemble each other more nearly than that described by Dr. 
Richardson, and the one killed in Ireland ; but the difierences have been stated that 
the description of the former may suffice for the other, with the exceptions noted. 
in. lin. 
Length (totalf) of Irish specimen . . . . 26 0 
Length of wing . . . . . . . 11 9 
bill from first feathers on forehead to point 2 9 
bill to rictus 3 7i 
tarsus .... ..38 
naked part of tibia . . . . .12 
middle toe 2 10 
middle claw measured in a straight line . 0 7^ 
hind toe ...... 1 5 
hind toe claw . . . . . 1 0^ 
Although the European and American bitterns have a general 
resemblance, they are found, when compared by the ornithologist, 
* Consequently it differs entirely from the other male killed on the 27th June, and 
which doubtless must have been a bird of a different age. 
t Not quite satisfactory, as the bird had been skinned. 
