86 NOTES ON THE 



expressibly infelicitous love notes. Standing perfectly erect 

 and entirely motionless, the bill pointed exactly toward the 

 zenith, the head is seen to be very slowly sinking while the 

 body correspondingly assumes the horizontal position and the 

 neck becomes sigmoid by its double flexion, it suddenly shoots 

 forward and a little downward and laboriously pumps out the 

 amorous utterances, doubtless to the entire satisfaction of the 

 waiting ear, whether the mate's or another masculine repre- 

 sentative of his species that accepts it as a challenge to come 

 over and get most ingloriously thrashed. Aspectively the per- 

 formance is suggestive of strangulation until "kunk-ah- 

 whulnk" has all been ejected. If any other performance 

 could match this in uncouthness to eye or ear, it has not been 

 mine to witness it with either of those senses. The food con- 

 sists principally of frogs, in the seizure of which their heron- 

 like manner of remaining motionless for long periods that the 

 unapprised reptiles may unconsciously come within easy reach, 

 is a pretty sure guaranty that they shall have enough to eat as 

 long as the frogs last. It is seldom that more than one indi- 

 vidual is seen in any one immediate locality, when it must have 

 been discovered at a distance while in its perpendicular atti- 

 tude, or by some sudden surprise, for they drop the head down 

 so slowly as to allude observation, and then run at a rapid pace 

 through the grass, weeds, reeds and rushes to a considerable 

 distance in some unexpected direction, and there remain hidden 

 until all danger of discovery is past before resuming their 

 watch for frogs and small snakes. One may pass very near 

 where they are concealed without flushing them, as they are 

 capable of judging very accurately whether they are actually 

 under the eye of the intruder or not. 



By the first week in August the young have attained the gen- 

 eral appearance of the adults, and when the frogs disappear 

 they do likewise. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Upper mandible black; the lower greenish-yellow; lores and 

 eyelid yellow; iris bright yellow; upper part of head depressed, 

 with the plumage there deep blackish-brown; long, yellowish- 

 brown feathers on the neck behind shaded with darker; throat 

 whitish, streaked with dark brown; from the posterior and 

 lower part of the auriculars, a broad patch of black jDasses di- 

 agonally across the neck; back deep brown barred and mottled 

 with many specks and streaks of brownish-yellow; quills black 

 with a leaden gloss, and tipped with ocherous brown; legs and 

 feet yellow, washed with pale green; middle claw pectinated; 

 beneath pale yellowish-brown streaked with darker brown. 



