76 REMARKS ON THE BITTERNS. 



out his legs backwards, appears to assume that attitude which is certainly more 

 convenient for soaring, and which he still retains when he has gained the 

 wished-for altitude. The Crane family always fly with the neck extended ; and 

 perhaps the loud cries of these birds, the vocal organs of which are similar to 

 those of the wild British Swans, require that the neck should be straightened in 

 order to give them their full intonation. Among the Crane family I do not 

 include the Agami (Psophia), which pertains to altogether a different division, 

 being allied to the Tinamus. 



It has been said that the Bittern, when it emits its astounding note as it 

 ascends circling, always stretches out its neck, which is not unlikely. The 

 booming of this bird is a greater mystery than has been considered ; for there is 

 nothing in the conformation of its vocal organs at all differing from what occurs in 

 the rest of the Ardeidce. According to Dr. Richardson, the notes of the American 

 and European species are precisely similar. Most of the Heron family have a 

 single unvaried cry, which in the Common Heron may be likened to the sound 

 qitank. 



The general exterior, habits, and deportment of the Grey Heron of Britain 

 are popularly too well known to require much description ; and it might be 

 supposed, as quite a matter of course, that its progressive stages from youth to 

 maturity would be accurately described by every author who has written on 

 British birds. So far, however, from this being the case, I am unaware of a 

 single writer who has distinguished its three separate states of plumage, which 

 are common to the two sexes. The perfectly adult garb of each is detailed by 

 Montagu as that of the male ; and their second plumage more briefly as that of 

 the female ; but when he additionally states that the young males resemble for 

 some time the latter, it is clear that he had never actually compared them, but 

 wrote at random, which was by no means a common practice with that acute 

 observer. The young of the year, besides certain terminal pale spots on the 

 wings, which are lost at the first moulting, have all the back plumage rounded, 

 not exhibiting even a tendency to assume the acuminate form observable in the 

 adults ; and in their second plumage the dorsal feathers are considerably less 

 elongated than in their subsequent attire. Montagu expresses surprise, moreover, 

 at the great distance from any heronry at which these birds occur during the 

 season of propagation ; not being aware that the young of the preceding year 

 continue solitarily dispersed until they attain the fully adult livery, in which 

 only they are known to breed. I question whether any of the large Ardeidce 

 propagate before they are two years old ; unless the Bitterns do so, which is 

 very probable, as I know from observation that these acquire their adult dress 

 during the first autumn. 



The typical Bitterns may be stated to retain permanently that character of 



