THE COMMON AND THE LITTLE BITTERN 129 



I once heard Baulk say that his gun " would knock 

 a hole throucrh the devil." 



In its nesting habits the Little Bittern resembles 

 its larger relative the Common Bittern. There 

 is not the least reason to doubt that in past 

 times this bird, like many more now rare waders, 

 bred in this country ; low wooded swamp tangles 

 are its favourite haunts, and vast fens once existed, 

 which were in certain parts such watery wilder- 

 nesses that only the fen-dwellers could penetrate 

 them. I have had the fowl-records from some 

 of them, given by old people that once lived there 

 when I was a young fellow ; and all that they told 

 me has proved to have been correct in the most 

 minute details. 



Bitterns are good climbers, the one under notice 

 particularly so ; the bird runs up and about the 

 rushes and reeds with as much agility as the Bearded 

 Tits that live and nest in the same moist tangles. 

 The long, lissom toes of the Herons and Bitterns 

 cling and hold to any object like twisted stone osier 

 bands. All waders can use their supple organs of 

 locomotion in a far more varied manner than they 

 have yet been given credit for generally. Practical 

 field naturalists have long known this. Some years 

 back a Snipe was seen perched on the top of a fir 

 tree : this when spoken about was considered a fine 

 bit oi Munchausen ornithology ; but he does perch 

 at times, especially in the breeding season, like the 

 Sandpiper : I should like to know what there is to 

 prevent it. I had once in my possession a good 



