BRITISnDIRDS 



EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 

 ASSISTED BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., M.B.O.U. 



Contents of Number 11. April I, 1908. 



The Breeding Habits of the Common Bittern, by E. W. 



Wade, M B.o.tr. . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 329 



The Spread of the Little Owl from the Chief Centres of 

 its Introduction, by H. F. Witherbv and N. F. Tiee- 

 hurst " 335 



The "Powder-Down" of the Heron, by W. P. Pycraft . . 343 



On the More Important Additions to our Knowledge of 

 British Birds since 1899, by H. F. Witherby and N. F. 

 Ticehurst (Part IX. ) — continued from page 322 . . 347 



Notes: — "Hen-Harrier" Nesting in Surrey (H. F. W.). 

 Comparative Legislation for the Protection of Birds. 

 Chiffchaff in London (W. P. Pycraft). Swallow's 

 Nest built on a Glass Gas Shade (Stephen J. White). 

 Martin's Nest built on a Window-pane (J. A. Harvie- 

 Brown). White-Winged Lark in Sussex (J. B. 

 Nichols). Increase of the Starling in Northumberland 

 (J. S. T. Walton). Short-Eared Owls m Ireland 

 (W. J. Williams). Smew Inland in Northumberland 

 (J. S. T. Walton), etc 351 



THE BREEDING HABITS OF THE COMMON 

 BITTERN. 



BY 



E. W. WADE, M.B.O.U. 



As the Bittern [Botaurus stellaris) has long since ceased 

 to breed in this country, although it still frequently 

 occurs from autumn to spring, it may be of interest to 

 give the results of my observations on its nesting habits 

 made during many seasons' hard work in Holland. 



The Bittern is a bird of the wet marshes, and is dis- 

 tributed all over Holland, varying- in numbers according- 

 as the season is wet or dry. On most of the large meres. 



