LITTLE BITTERN. 91 



prevent confusion with any other bird, but it is not an easy bird 

 to see, for it skulks all day in the herbage and feeds at night. 

 Apart from nocturnal habits, it is an expert at camouflage, 

 clever enough to deceive the expert bird watcher. Heron-like, 

 it stands motionless with its head sunk in its shoulders, but 

 if approached turns its buff breast towards the intruder, and 

 pointing its bill skywards, slowly stiffens itself upward. As it 

 stretches it becomes attenuated, gaining several inches in 

 height, until it is hardly distinguishable from a dead reed blade. 

 When feeding or protecting itself it can dart its head and bill 

 forward with dangerous speed, but this lengthening trick is 

 slow, so also is the rotation of its body as it keeps its breast 

 towards and its eyes upon the moving observer. Mr. R. B. 

 Lodge found a bird lying stretched out upon the water as if 

 dead, but when he picked it up it was uninjured ; indeed, the 

 bird will allow itself to be caught by man or dog, trusting to 

 being missed so long as it remains still. It can, however, run 

 swiftly through dense herbage. In flight its wing-beats are 

 more rapid than in the larger herons. 



The nest, which may yet be discovered in England, is not 

 unlike that of the Moorhen, and, though occasionally in a low 

 bush, is usually in a reed-bed. The eggs are muddy white. 

 The male has a call which corresponds to the boom of the 

 Bittern ; it has been heard in England. It is sometimes 

 described as a grunting croak, but Lilford calls it " a sort of 

 deep guttural cough." Mr. J. H. Gurney was reminded of '' a 

 paviour ramming stones," and Mr. Jourdain of " the impact of 

 a heavy mallet on a pile," repeated three times in succession 

 and then a short pause. 



The crown, hind neck, and back of the male are greenish 

 black, the primaries and tail browner, the wing-coverts pale 

 buff, and the face and under parts rich buff; on the breast and 

 flanks are dark streaks, which aid in concealment. The bill 

 and legs are greenish yellow, the irides and bare skin round 



