17G 



NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



thiU lie has hcanl tlii.' bellowing and rumbling of the male bittern innumerable times, 

 often throughout the whole night. He describes the sound as '■'■ U prumb" the latter 

 syllabk- iiiucli louder than the former, rejieated several times. He sometimes heard, 

 when he sueceeded in getting close enough, a low sound jirecede the bellow, as if the 

 surface of the water was beaten with a reed. The roar sounds, close by, nearly as 

 strong as the bellow of an ox and m.iy be heard, during a still night, at a distance of 

 from tiiree to four miles, according to circumstances. Naumaun himself was never so 



Fio. 85. — Ardtomeya goiuith, Airicaa glaut-heron. 



fortunate as to see the bird during the jierformance. Count Wodzicki, however 



also known as an excellent observer, — was more successful, and describes it in the fol- 

 lowing manner: "The artist was standing on both legs, with the body horizontal, and 

 the bill in the water, and then a rumbling began, tiic water siiouting about all the time. 

 After a few sounds I heard tlie 'U' described by Naumann ; the bird lifted the 

 head, threw it backwards, ))ut it again rapidly into the water, producing a roar that 

 startled me." The souud of the American bittern {B. lentir/iiwaus) is described .-is 



