THE AMERICAN BITTERN IN SCOTLAND 7: 



different seasons of the year from Hudson's Bay to Carolina. 

 It has various names in different States ; such as Indian 

 Pullet, Indian Hen, and Dunkadoo ; a word, says Wilson, 

 probably imitative of its common note. In the markets of 

 New Orleans, Audubon tells us, it is bought in autumn by 

 the poorer classes to make gombo soup. 



"In its habits and in its voice, it bears considerable re- 

 semblance to our common Bittern. It makes its nest in 

 swamps, laying four cinereous green eggs, according to 

 Hutchins, among the long grass. The young are said to be 

 at first black. Audubon says the egg of this bird measures 

 two inches in length, by one inch and a half, and is of a 

 broadly oval shape, rather pointed at the end, and of a 

 uniform dull olivaceous tint. Wilson says also of the 

 American Bittern, that when fat it is considered by many 

 to be excellent eating. A gentleman who saw the bird at 

 our office, and who once shot one of the same species in 

 Ireland, confirms this statement of the eminent ornithologist. 

 The stomach is usually filled with fish and frogs. Dr. 

 Richardson says, ' it is a common bird in the marshes and 

 willow thickets of the far countries up to the 58th parallel. 

 Its loud booming exactly resembling that of the Common 

 Bittern of Europe may be heard every summer evening, 

 and also during the day. When disturbed, it utters a hollow, 

 croaking cry.' 



" Comparing the specimen shot by the Marquis of Ailsa's 

 gamekeeper with the description given of the American Bit- 

 tern, in Yarrell's ' History of British Birds,' there is a perfect 

 identity of appearance. The whole length of the bird is 

 about twenty-seven inches ; and from the carpal joint to the 

 end of the wing, eleven inches and a half. The beak is 

 brownish yellow ; from the forehead, before, over and behind 

 the eye, a stretch of light yellow-brown ; wing-coverts, rich 

 brown ; upper tail-coverts, buff, freckled with two shades of 

 brown ; tail-feathers, almost uniform reddish brown ; chin 

 and front of the neck, a mixture of white, buff, and dark 

 brown in streaks ; ear-coverts and a line descending there- 

 from, yellow-brown ; between this and the throat in front, 

 an elongated descending streak of black ; breast and belly 

 buff each feather with an elongated brown central 



