June, 1892.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



87 



The American Bittern. 



The well-known American Bittern is a 

 common summer resident in western New 

 York, and may be found breeding along slug- 

 gish streams, ponds, and swamps often in large 

 numbers. 



In this locality the Bittern is generally 

 kuown as "Stake-driver" or "Thunder Tump," 

 receiving its names from the peculiar noises 

 made by the bird which at times resemble 

 that of driving stakes, then again that of 

 pumping. 



A tract of low land known as the Tonwanda 

 Swamp, lying along the line between the coun- 

 ties of Orleans and Genesee, seems to be a 

 favorite nesting place for this bird. 



During the breeding season the male may 

 be heard from morning till night at freipient 

 intervals, his "pumping" making the swamps 

 ring, and it may be heard a long distance. 



The Bittern arrives in this locality during 

 the first week in April, and stays until late in 

 the fall. 



The Bitterns, like the Herons, get their food 

 in the vicinity of water, and are seldom seen 

 to alight in fields far away from a creek. 

 Their food consists mostly of frogs, toads, 

 and small minnows which they are experts 

 at catching. 



The American and the Least Bittern both 

 breed here, but owing to tlie retiring habits of 

 the latter it is seldom seen, but, however, the 

 former is far the more common. The time of 

 the breeding of this bird seems to be very 

 indefinite, as fresh eggs may be found from 

 the latter part of April until late in June. 



The nest of the Bittern is generally hard to 

 find, being placed in tall, rank grass which 

 covers the ground and hides the nest. The 

 nest is seldom placed elsewhere than upon low 

 ground that is covered with water part of the 

 year, altiiough they sometimes build in open 

 fields after the grass has grown to a good 

 height. When found in low places the nests 

 are placed on the ground or upon decaying 

 vegetation lying in shallow water. 



The nest is made of coarse, dry grass and 

 weeds that are dragged together by the birds, 

 and lined with finer material of the same kind. 

 Sometimes the grass and Aveeds overhanging 

 the nest are drawn together above it, 

 completely hiding the nest and eggs. 



The eggs are four or five in number, gener- 

 ally five, and of a uniform drab in color. As 

 soon as the eggs are hatched, the parent birds, 

 occup.y their time in carrying food for their 



young, and they will fly from morning until 

 night, from some pond or creek to the nest 

 with food. 



During incubation the female will not leave 

 the nest until nearly trodden upon, making it 

 a rather difficult task to find the nest by 

 flushing the bird. 



The number of Bitterns that breed here 

 depends largely upon the season. During a 

 wet season, especially in May, they breed in 

 large numbers in the Tonwanda Swamp, but 

 if the season be dry and hot their numbers are 

 greatly dimimished. 



Two years ago I found my first Bittern's 

 nest. While wandering about on a marsh, I 

 chanced to stop within a few feet of the nest, 

 and as I did not see the bird she did not offer 

 to fly, but to my "good luck" when I started I 

 went towards the nest and she flew off. I 

 examined closely the surroundings of the nest 

 and found signs which I thought would aid 

 me in finding another nest. 



The next year, while crossing the same 

 marsh, I saw signs similar to those around my 

 first nest. I began hunting at once and soon 

 found the nest a few rods from the place 

 where I first noticed the presence of the birds. 

 Both these nests contained five eggs each. 



Elmer J. Gillclt. 



Barre Centre, New York. 



[My experience leads me to believe that these 

 eggs are very commonly a set. — J. P. N.] 



Nesting of the Wood Pewee in Nova 



Scotia. 



A POINT ON SHELL MAUKINGS. 



While at my home in Kentville, N. S., an 

 exquisitely marked set of eggs of the Wood 

 Pewee {C'ontvpus virens) A. O. U. 461, found 

 their way into my collecting box. The neatly 

 constructed shallow nest, composed of veg- 

 etable down and fine tree moss, the whole 

 completely covered with lichen, (which made 

 it hard to distinguish from a knot while 

 standing on the ground), was built on top of a 

 forked branch of a large dead spruce limb, five 

 feet from the trunk of the tree, and fifteen 

 feet from the ground, to the edge of a spruce 

 wood. The eggs were two in number, of a pale 

 buff ground color, having a faint pinkish 

 tinge. A series of fine spots and irregular 

 blotches of browns, shading from pale red- 

 brown to rich chocolate, and lavenders from 

 light to dark, circle the large end. One 

 thing particularly noticeable in some of the 

 lavender markings is the^appearance of being 



