LITTLE BITTERN dl 
Louth, Westmeath, Longford, Galway, Armagh, and 
Antrim. 
Illustrative of the ease with which this bird might be 
overlooked, even on an open swamp devoid of cover, i quote 
the following interesting passage from Mr. Ussher’s ‘ Birds 
of Ireland,’ p. 165. It ‘relates to a bird which was kept in 
captivity, and, owing to the extraordinary attitudes w hich 
it was wont to assume, some visitors failed to recognise its 
presence in the cage! The writer says: “When uncon- 
scious of observation it would walk about the cage with 
neck retracted, the head resting on its shoulders, or, if 
minnows were placed under its “perch, it would shoot out 
its long neck, reaching down and capturing them with 
dexterity ; but when approached it used to stand still and 
begin to elongate itself slowly, and while it stood previously 
about ten inches high, it now assumed a height of sixteen 
or more; its bill was then pointed upwards, its eyes being 
directed straight towards the intruder, and its neck and 
body stretched and compressed. In this position it looked 
so unlike a bird, that visitors, standing a few feet from it, 
have asked where it was.” 
Food.—During the day the Little Bittern hides in reed- 
beds or other available cover which is to be found on marshy 
eround, by the margin of river, or lake. At night it looks 
for its food, which consists of frogs, fish, snails, worms, 
and insects. 
Voice.—The voice is a grunting croak, and the note may 
be syllabled, gruck-gruck-groff. 
Nest.—The nest is built among sedges, of which it 1s 
mainly composed, but bushes and low trees growing near 
a bog are also utilised. The eggs, four, five, or more 
to the clutch, are dull white with a muddy grey-green 
tinge. Incubation begins about the middle of May. 
Not so long ago the Little Bittern probably nested 
on the Broads of Norfolk, and elsewhere in England at 
an earlier period. A pair were observed at Rollesby Broad, 
Norfolk, during the months of May, June, and July, which 
fact affords strong evidence that they were breeding, pro- 
vided they were not immature birds (Gurney, ‘ Zoologist,’ 
1894, p. 88, and 1895, p. 98). 
Geographical distribution.—The Little Bittern nests in 
Southern Europe, Western Asia, Northern Africa, and the 
adjoining Islands. It has occurred as a wanderer to the 
Faroes, Iceland, and other Northern countries in Europe. 
