Ardetta Eillis—Young. 1875 July 25 Cloudy and sultry. In forenoon took a walk up to the swamps. Started three least bitterns out of low bushes on the edge of pond holes and shot two of them, one an adult, 6' th other a young bird just or wings and evidently one of the brood that I heard calling as week or two ago. This latter bird fell wounded into the water when it quickly paddled ashore and made an inefficient attempt to conceal itself away the tussocks. Upon picking it up, it struck out at me several times in the manner of the Botaurus minor, and with a motion as quick as light: (crossed) thrust bitting my hand drove the bill quite through the skin drawing blood. Counting shot along the edges of a few of the pools Ie started three rails all of which I shot, two were foras young birds in fall plumage, the other a Virginia in that curious mixed plumage peculiar to young birds at this season. All were full grown and flew well. Entering the maple swamp I found a nest of Chry. tristis in a tall Swamp maple, 125 ft. up and quite inaccessible. The e was sitting and kept up a continual twitting which guided me to the spot. This seems to be a regular habit as I noted at the lake in 1873. Nearly all the young birds are out and many had acquired already the fall plumage. I saw a brood of A. Penn, at Willsley on the 26th in that condition: one of them a young 6' was singing already in a practising strain