52 BIRDS OF OHIO. 
this bird’s occurrence in Ohio is that of Mr. H. E. Chubb, 
of Cleveland, who mounted a young male which was cap- 
tured ten miles west of Cleveland. Dr. Langdon’s inferen- 
tial record should not be omitted. Specimens captured on 
the Whitewater river in Indiana very likely followed that 
river to its junction with the Big Miami and so into Ohio. 
SuBoRDER HERODII. Bitterns, Herons, Egrets. 
Family Arpreip#. Bitterns, Herons, Egrets. 
Subfamily Boraurin#. Bitterns. 
All the species comprising this group are found in the 
_ state. They are strictly swamp haunters, feeding and nesting 
there. They usually stand quietly and wait for the prey to 
come within striking distance, when they strike it with the 
strong, sharp-pointed bill. I have seen them pursue the 
frog or fish or tadpole. Apparently they eat any small ani- 
mal which comes in their way in the swamps, except 
birds. 
60. (190.) BoTaurus LENTIGINOSUS (Montag.). 190. 
American Bittern. 
Synonyms: Botaurus minor, Ardea minor, A. lentiginosus. 
Bittern, Indian Hen, Stake Driver, Bog-bull, Thunder Pump, 
Kirtland, Ohio Geol. Surv., 1838, 165. 
The Bittern will not be known to those who do not go 
into the marshes and swamps. It is seldom seen on running 
streams, preferring the unfrequented swamps and bogs, 
feeding in the stagnant pools among the reeds and brush. 
It is reported as fairly common over the state, but will be 
absent from places lacking swampy ground, and therefore 
must be considered local in its distribution in summer. It 
is more frequently seen during the migrations than at any 
other time. While visiting in Medina in May, 1901, while 
out with a party of bird students on a wet morning, we saw 
_a Bittern in an orchard in the heart of the residence district 
of the village. It permitted an approach within a rod, and 
