REMARKS ON THE BITTERNS. 75 



them to do at an unexpected distance. Sir W. Jardine thus popularly describes 

 the mechanism by which this is effected. He is speaking of the genus Plotus 

 (or Darter), the members of which, he states, " among the Pelecanidce, exhibit 

 the extreme structure in the power of darting and suddenly again withdrawing 

 the head. The Cormorants and Herons possess this power to a great extent ; 

 and they all possess a peculiar bend of the neck, observed in certain circum- 

 stances of the bird's economy, and into which that part at once puts itself when 

 the bird is dead. This is produced chiefly by the action of two muscles ; the 

 one inserted within the cavity of the breast, and running up with a long tendon 

 to the vertebra beneath the bend, the other inserted in the joint above the bend, 

 and running far down with another slender tendon. The action of these two 

 powers, united by the muscles of the back part, produces the peculiar angular 

 bend, and enables the head to be thrown forward with great force. The effect 

 may be easily seen, and produced, by a jointed stick having cords affixed, and 

 acted on in this way." 



The Camel, and some other Mammalians, lower the neck to browse, and 

 then suddenly raise it again, by an analogous mechanism. The duplicature of 

 the neck of the Heron should be a great deal more studied than it is by those 

 who undertake to preserve specimens of this tribe of birds. The lowermost 

 portion of it is directed downward over the breast, and is devoid of plumage ; 

 so that the lengthened feathers of the fore-neck, which, while at ease, the bird 

 frequently allows to droop, when drawn up close appear to be continuous with 

 those of the breast : the bare hind-part of the neck, also, doubles back upon 

 itself, the plumage of the fore-part closing over and quite concealing the dupli- 

 cature in the majority of species : and lastly, the long and spear-shaped bill, 

 with the head, completes the figure of an S, and in the Spoonbills, Storks, and 

 Ibises, the beak is ordinarily rested on the fore-neck, in the Storks very com- 

 monly pointing perpendicularly downward. The trachea, in one part of its 

 course, proceeds along the back of the neck. Stuffers most frequently err in not 

 making the lower extremity of the neck bend downward, so much as it ought to 

 do, close over the breast. 



White, of Selborne, and other writers, who assert that these birds retract 

 the neck, when flying, and extend the legs, for the purpose of counteracting the 

 forward tendency of the body, should have remembered that the muscles of the 

 neck attain their equilibrium when in this position, which, consequently, is 

 simply that of rest. When a Heron or Bittern rises, I have noticed that this is 

 ordinarily done in a sluggish manner, with the neck often extended, as the bird 

 surveys the tract of ground over which he passes, and the legs drooping ; forcibly 

 recalling to mind the unwilling flight of a Rail or Gallinule ; after a while, 

 however, if nothing tempts him to alight, he contracts the neck, and, stretching 



VOL. III. — NO. XVII. M 



