Bird Study in a Nebraska Swamp 63 



of frogs. As Graham remarked, "It's a good thing tliere is 

 such a fine crop of frogs and only this one Bittern family 

 around. If the frogs were any less or the Bitterns any more 

 plentiful, there would be a famine in the Bitteru tribe." 



Only the female came to the nest, although the male was 

 often heard "pumping" in the surrounding reeds. We noted 

 one fact in connection with the Bittern's hunting not noted 

 in any other bird studied, and that was the distance from 

 the nest of the regular hunting grounds. All other birds 

 studied forage in the immediate vicinity of the nest while 

 the Bittern went across the end of the swamp at least a half 

 a mile from it. The nearest shore line and the place where 

 we obtained the frogs was not more than a liundred yards 

 away and the frogs fairly swarmed there. She was never 

 noted feeding along this shore but flew across the swamp to a 

 grass grown point covered with about two inches of water. 

 One day I went around to this point and concealed myself 

 in the willows to watch while Mr. Graham remained in the 

 blind. The Bittern soon came flying from the direction of 

 the nest and dropped into the grass a short distance from me 

 and immediately became stationary. The frogs, which were 

 as thick here as on the other shore, soon forgot her presence 

 and began to swim about or climb over the bogs. When one 

 came within reach, out shot the long neck and beak and seized 

 him. He was hammered against a bog a few times and 

 swallowed. After securing a number in this fashion she 

 stepped up onto a bog and went to sleep. After a short rest 

 she flew a little waj's down the shore and went to hunting 

 again. After her hunt and rest this time she flew heavily 

 across the swamp toward the nest. Her disinclination to 

 hunt on tlie nearer shore probably arose from the fact that 

 it was frequented by boys much of the time and not from 

 any aversion to hunting near the nest. 



It was not until July 1 that we secured a good description 

 of the complete feeding process. The following extract is 

 from the note book used on that occasion: "At 9:55 A.M. 

 I heard the flapping of heavy wings and the female settled 

 down into the rushes about twenty feet from the nest. She 



