158 BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 

 THE BITTERN 



(Botaurus stellaris). 



The Bitterns are short - legged allies of the Heron, of 

 skulking habits, and frequenting fens and marshes, such as 

 abounded in the east of England not so long ago, and 

 still occupy much of Holland. The suitable haunts within 

 the British Isles have now, however, become few and cir- 

 cimiscribed ; but there is little doubt that this interesting 

 and inoffensive bird would still nest in East Anglia in 

 limited numbers were it freed from the persecution of 

 spring shooting. It is still of fairly frequent occurrence 

 in parts of this country, but is everywhere eagerly shot 

 down in the name of either ' science ' or ' sport ^ by people 

 who know nothing about the former and are incapable 

 of appreciating the true spirit of the latter. The Bittern''s 

 nest is composed of reeds, and the four eggs are of a 

 uniform olivaceous brown colour. 



The Little Bittern is now also a mere visitor to the 

 British Isles ; but its former breeding within our area is 

 a less firmly established point than in the case of the 

 larger species. 



Family, PLATELEID^ (Spoonbills). 



THE SPOONBILL 



(Platelea leucorodia). 



The Spoonbill, or 'Shoveler,' so called because of the 

 shape of its bill, formerly nested in East Anglia and 

 some of the southern parts of England, but is now only 

 an occasional wanderer to our shores. The four to six 

 whitish eggs, rather rough in texture and variable in 

 shape, have reddish-brown markings. They are laid, at 

 considerable intervals, in a nest of reeds. 



