AMERICAN BITTERN 37 
AMERICAN BITTERN. Botawrus lentiginosus (Montagu). 
Coloured Figures.—Gould, ‘ Birds of Great Britain,’ vol. iv, pl. 
98; Dresser, ‘ Birds of Europe,’ vol. vi, pl. 404; Lilford, 
‘Coloured Figures,’ vol. vii, pl. 14. 
It seems to be the prevailing opinion among ornitholo- 
gists that most of the American Bitterns recorded from 
our Isles, have, during their transit across the Atlantic 
Ocean, procured an assisted passage by resting on the 
riggings of vessels, for at least some part of their journey. 
The first British bird of this species on record was 
killed at Piddletown in Dorset in 1804, and it is interesting 
to note that it was by means of this specimen that Montagu 
first distinguished the American Bittern as a new species. 
The most recent specimen was procured from Maddens- 
town Bog, co. Kildare, shortly before February 20th, 1891 
(Williams, ‘ Zoologist,’ 1891, p. 218), and curiously enough, 
another had been obtained on the same bog on October 
31st, 1889 (Scharff, ‘ Zoologist,’ 1890, p. 26). The latter 
bird is preserved in the National Museum, Dublin. 
Specimens have also been recorded from the following 
counties :— 
England :—Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, 
Cornwall, Lancashire, Yorkshire. 
Wales :—Pembrokeshire and the island of Anglesea. 
Scotland :—Dumfriesshire, Elgin, Aberdeenshire, Caithness, 
and-the island of Islay. 
Ireland :—Uondonderry, Down, Armagh, Louth, Kildare, 
Carlow, Wexford, Tipperary, Cork. 
Two interesting points may be mentioned in connection 
with these occurrences: in the first place they nearly all 
(with the exception of the bird taken at Dumfriesshire on 
March 25th, 1878), took place between October and 
February, a period of the year when the bird annually 
migrates (Saunders), and secondly, as pointed out by 
Mr. Ussher, four of the Irish specimens were taken in 
Leinster “and five in inland counties, far from where we 
might expect they would have landed from America.” 
Flight.—Like that of its congeners, the flight of this 
bird is slow and not particularly buoyant. 
Voice.—'The voice, uttered in the _ breeding-season 
by the male, is deep and croaky. 
Food.—The food consists of small reptiles, oes mam- 
mals and worms. 
