A Bittern at Close Range 



BY A. V. KIDDER (As;ed 15) 



ON May i6, 1901, I was walking alone by the edge of a large 

 marsh near the Waverley Oaks, in Belmont, Mass. It was about 

 3 o'clock on a hot sunny afternoon, and I was therefore much 

 surprised to hear the pumping of a Bittern from the long grass. I had 

 made it my rule always to look for a Bittern that 1 heard pumping, but 

 had never yet been lucky enough to see the operation. I looked care- 

 fully over the broad expanse of marsh grass and water, and soon struck 

 something that looked suspicious. From behind a small clump of dead 

 bullrushes there protruded a brown object, that, even with the glasses, 

 could scarcely be proved animate. All my doubt of its identity was 

 removed when the top of the stick suddenly bent down, was jerked up 

 and pulled down again, while the well-known guttural, bubbling grunt 

 came to my ears. The neck immediately became stiff and straight again, 

 and the bird stood motionless for several minutes. 



This Bittern only pumped from three to four times running and then 

 stood quietly for two to three minutes before repeating his performance. I 

 have never heard a Bittern pump more than eight consecutive times, nor 

 less than twice. 



The bird was about a hundred \ards distant, with only his neck and 

 head in sight. His neck was protruding straight from the grass and his 

 head pointed upward and outward. The process of pumping was as fol- 

 lows: When ready, he lowered his beak, so that it pointed about paral- 

 lel to the grass. After a few preliminary nods his head jerked violently 

 down and his throat swelled and puffed as if a large ball were being 

 brought up from the stomach, then his head was thrown up to a per- 

 pendicular, and whipped down a trifle lower than in the first nods. 

 These movements made up one "pump" consisting of three syllables that 

 sounded to me like '*glump-te-glough." The ne.xt pump is started with- 

 out the preparatory nods. The actions are so lightning-like that it is 

 impossible to say in what part of the gyrations of his head the separate 

 notes come. He was too far distant for me to hear the snapping of the 

 bill heard by Mr. liolles, less than two miles from the same place. One 

 note of three syllables took a little o\er one second, ami during the 

 interval, which was longer than in the night performance, he stood gaz- 

 ing steadfastly toward the sk\ . I suppose the dipping of his bill, like 

 that of a bird drinking, before beginning the song, ga\ e rise to tlie \ ery 

 natural idea tiiat water was useil in the process. 



I 173 I 



