96 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



passing yacht, she flew slowly back again, passing so 

 close to me that I could have photographed her on the 

 wing, but alas, my camera was reposing on the nest 

 some distance away ! She then dropped into a distant 

 reed-bed where, several days afterwards, young Bitterns 

 were flushed twice in succession, at such short intervals 

 that one may safely infer that they were not one and the 

 same bird, but two separate young ones. 



FIG 5.- TEE XEST. 



The following dates have been supplied me by a reliable 

 watcher, who seems to have taken an interest in these 

 birds from their first arrival, and kept an eye on them 

 ever since. The^^ were first seen during the third week 

 in December, 1910; there were then three adult birds. 

 Booming began on January 26th, 1911, a^nd was continuous 

 both night and d^y during March, April, and May until 

 June 4th, since which date this sound has not been heard. 



