634 AVES— BITTERN. ..STORK. 



THE AMERICAN BITTERN 1 



Is common to all our sea and river marshes, though no where numerous; 

 it rests all day among the reeds and rushes, and, unless disturbed, feeds and 

 flies only during the night. In some places it is called the Indian hen. On 

 the seacoast of New Jersey, it is known by the name of dunkadoo, a word 

 probably imitative of its note. It utters sometimes a hollow guttural note, 

 among the reeds ; but has nothing of that long booming sound for which 

 the European bittern is so remarkable. When disturbed, they rise with a 

 hollow hum, and are then easily shot down, as they fly heavily. Like most 

 other night birds, their sight is most acute during the evening twilight ; but 

 their hearing is at all times exquisite. They make their nests in swamps, 

 laying four eggs in the long grass. 



THE LEAST BITTERN^ 



Is the smallest known species of the whole tribe. It is commonly found 

 in fresh water meadows, and rarely visits the salt marshes. In the 

 meadows of Schuylkill and Delaware below Philadelphia, a few of these 

 birds breed every year; making their nests in the thick tussocks of grass in 

 swampy places. When alarmed they seldom fly far, but take shelter among 

 the reeds or long grass. They are scarcely ever seen exposed, but skulk 

 during the whole day; and, like the preceding species, feed chiefly at night. 

 This little creature measures but twelve inches in length. 



THE STORK. 3 



The most remarkable of this tribe is the white stork, the length of which 

 is about three feet. The bill is nearly eight inches long, and of a fine red 

 color. The plumage is wholly white, except the orbits of the eyes, which 

 are bare and blackish ; some of the feathers on the side of the back and on 

 the wings are black. The skin, the legs, and the bare parts of the thighs 

 are red. 



The white stork is semi-domestic; haunting towns and cities, and in 

 many places stalking unconcernedly about the streets, in search of offal and 



1 Ardea minor, Wilson. s Ardea exilis, Gmel. 



3 Ciconia alba, Bellon. The genus Ciconia has the bill long, straight, stout, cylindri- 

 cal, iu the form of an elongated pointed cone ; ridge rounded, of equal height with the 

 head ; under mandible slightly bent upwards ; nostrils longitudinally cleft in a groove of 

 the horny substance ; eyes surrounded with a naked space ; legs long; the three anterior 

 toes united to the first joint, the hind toe jointed on the same level as the others ; wings 

 of moderate size. 



