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A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE 



DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



Otficial Organ of The Audubon Societies 



Vol. XVII November— December, 1915 No. 6 



The Behavior of the Least Bittern 



By ARTHUR A. ALLEN, Ithaca, N. Y. 

 With photographs by the author 



THE walking-sticks and strangely shaped caterpillars that resemble 

 dead twigs, the moths that simulate the bark upon which they rest, 

 the butterflies that close their brilliant wings and appear as dead leaves, 

 are familiar to all who walk in the woods. In the presence of danger, each of 

 these insects assumes its characteristic attitude; and its peculiar shape, as 

 well as its color pattern, cause it to appear as a part of its environment. The 

 discovery of these peculiar forms of life with their strange resemblances is one 

 of the delights of the young naturalist, and one of the inspirations that urge 

 him on to further study. The accuracy with which every knot, or crevice, 

 or leaf-vein is reproduced in the form or color of the animal fascinates him. 

 It is truly one of the most wonderful phenomena in nature. 



How disappointing is it, therefore, to find, as we study the higher forms of 

 life, that, as the intelligence of the animal increases, this phenomenon, this 

 method of protection, decreases in importance until it finally disappears 

 entirely. Even among birds, it is extremely rare and imperfectly developed. 

 The Screech Owl, with 'horns' erect and feathers drawn close, it is true, 

 closely resembles a broken stub, an effect that is heightened by the barklike 

 markings of the breast. The Nighthawk, sitting lengthwise on the limb, 

 resembles the stub of a branch; and the Bittern, 'freezing' in the short marsh 

 vegetation of early spring, resembles a projecting snag; but the instances 

 are few. The problem of protection is met either through greater intelligence 

 or through coloration alone, without modification of form. 



There remains one bird, however, which seems to display a mimicry, or 

 protective resemblance, even as perfectly developed as that of the insects; 

 for it is resemblance of form even more than of color. The posing of this bird, 

 the Least Bittern, has been described many times, and I doubt not is familiar 

 to most ornithologists in a general way. Such descriptions as have come to 



