94 ALLEN S naturalist's LIBRARY. 



Range outside the British Islands. — The Bittern is generally dis- 

 tributed throughout Europe and Asia, but does not extend 

 very far north, and in many of the southern countries it is 

 known chiefly as a migrant, and breeds sparingly. It has not 

 been found in Norway, but visits Southern Sweden up to 

 about 60° N. lat. In Russia it is found up to about 62° N. 

 lat, but in Eastern Russia and Western Siberia its range does 

 not extend beyond 57° and 68° N. lat., respectively. In winter 

 it visits North-eastern Africa, India, Burma, and China. 



Hahits. — The Bittern is such a shy and retiring bird that 

 very little is known of its way of life, as it is an inhabitant of 

 the great reed-swamps, where its haunts are difficult to pene- 

 trate. Thus it is seldom seen on the wing, and when flushed, 

 it flies but a little distance, with a slow and steady flight, its 

 head drawn in on its shoulders, and its feet stretched out 

 behind in a line with the body. As a rule, it is a solitary bird, 

 and is only found in pairs at its breeding-places, but on migra- 

 tion it has been noticed in larger numbers, forty or fifty 

 being seen on the wing at once. 



Mr. Seebohm writes on the note of this bird, which is so 

 often spoken of as " booming " : — " It is far more nocturnal 

 than any of the Herons, and the ' boom,' or love-song, of the 

 male is heard at all hours of the night during the breeding- 

 season, and never in the day. It is a weird, unearthly noise, 

 not to be dignified with the name of a note, and may be 

 heard at a considerable distance. The bird is so shy that 

 the noise is instantly stopped on the slightest alarm. Some 

 writers have likened it to the bellowing of a bull, others 

 think it resembles the neighing of a horse, while more imagi- 

 native ornithologists trace in it a resemblance to their ideal 

 conception of demoniac laughter. It consists of two notes, 

 one supposed to be produced as the b'rd inhales, and the 

 other as it exhales its breath. Naumann attempts to express it 

 on paper by the syllabus ii-pniuib, repeated slowly several 

 times. The call-note, which is common to both sexes, is a 

 hoarse croak, like the ca-wak of a Night-Heron, or the cry of a 

 Raven, and is sometimes heard when the birds are on migra- 

 tion ; but the ' boom ' is only heard from the reeds, and as 

 it is uttered the bird is said to stand with its neck stretched 

 out, and its beak pointing upwards. The Bittern rarely 



