. A history of British birds . 200 HERODIONES. ARDETDiE. ARDEID^.. Ardetta minuta (Linnaeus*). THE LITTLE BITTERN. Botaurus minutus. Ardetta, G. R. Grayf.—Beak longer than the liead, slender, pointed, gape-line straight; nostrils, basal, linear, longitudinal ; space in front of the eyebare. Legs rather short ; the tibia feathered nearly to the joint ; tarsus ante-riorly scutellate; toes moderately long, slender, tlie middle toe shorter than thetarsus, and its claw pectinated on the inner edge. Wing broad, rather rounded ;the second quill-feather barely longer than the first, and a little longe
. A history of British birds . 200 HERODIONES. ARDETDiE. ARDEID^.. Ardetta minuta (Linnaeus*). THE LITTLE BITTERN. Botaurus minutus. Ardetta, G. R. Grayf.—Beak longer than the liead, slender, pointed, gape-line straight; nostrils, basal, linear, longitudinal ; space in front of the eyebare. Legs rather short ; the tibia feathered nearly to the joint ; tarsus ante-riorly scutellate; toes moderately long, slender, tlie middle toe shorter than thetarsus, and its claw pectinated on the inner edge. Wing broad, rather rounded ;the second quill-feather barely longer than the first, and a little longer than thethird. Tail short and rounded, consisting of ten soft feathers. The Little Bittern is the smallest British example ofthe family to which it belongs. It will be perceived that itdiffers from the true Herons in having little bare space abovethe tarsal joint, and its toes are also much longer. It appears * Ardca minuta, Linnteus, Syst. Nat. Ed. 12, i. p. 240 (1766).f List of Genera of Birds, Appendix, p. 13 (1842). LITTLE BITTERN. 201 to occupy a somewh
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsaun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds
