A R D E T T A PUSILLA.
Minute Bittern.
Ariea pailla, Vieill. Encjf. Meth. Om.t part®,}. 1128.—TFagL
------maculata, Nat., topi. xiv. p. 432.—Ib. Ency. M6th.
^^.(^p.}~part iii. p.
Spotted Heron, Lath. Gen?^^^gS€pp^TO l^ ^ ^ '305.—Ib. Gen. Hist., ml^ix./p. 7,8;%oung?
Specimens o f the Mipat#B}t^n^are contained in my own tjie Linnean Society of
London; it is however a present nothing, whoever is known respecting it.
During my sojourn in th& c(^u®|ÿ ascertained, that the few individuals known had been procured between
Sydney and Botany Bay. I have frequently had occasion t o allude to the beautiful manner in which many
pm^ ^ ^^ ^ ^'jto^Ehrope are represented ips^ustfalia^By^other closely allied species, and the present bird
forms another case in point, since it is dearly a representative of the Little Bittern ( Ardetta minuta) of this
which it much resembles in thestyle of a still smaller size. This
is 'another of fche species, therefore, to which I would direct theattention of^esMènt^^Ss native country,
HHE a; vi;ew^t^S^ir making known the result o f their observations for the promotion o f ornithological
The sefes, as is the" case, \yith the Ardetta minuta o f Europe, differ considerably from each other, the
female being mottled and of a smaller sizethan her mate.
'1 ITh^fmile^^qthe^crown o f the head^fbaek and tail bronzy greenish black; front of the neck buff, gra-
dually passing into.rich deep chestnut o ff tne sides of the head and back, of the neck ; down the centre of
the chin and neck in front a broad irregular stripe^of ^pn either side of the chest a patch of
blàck feathers margined with deep buff ; all the under' surface- pale buffÿ; wing-coverts deep buff, with a
patch of rich chestnut on the shoulder and a wash o f the same colour along the edge of the wing ; primaries
slaty black ; space round the eye, bill and feet yellow ; culmen nearly black ; irides orange.
The female has the head and back chestnut ; wing-coverts very deep, tawny, passing into chestnut on the
tips o f the coverts and secondaries ; primaries' grey, tipped with thrown ; tail black; sides o f the neck
pale Ghestnut ; front of the throat ^ ^ th e . uhder ite, with a sfa^^of tawny down the middle, and
a small streak o f brown in the centre óf each feather, the brown huepredominating and fQ|ming|^conspicuous
mark down the* threat; tf
The Plate represents the two sexes of the size o f life.