450 General Notes [july 



herony was discovered May 15, 1914, by Miss Nettie M. Sadler, of Syra- 

 cuse, a teacher of biology and an enthusiastic bird student. 



In 1915 Miss Sadler saw the Night Herons several times but they did 

 not nest at Lakeside. In 1916, however, she found them nesting in a 

 swampy wood across the outlet of Onondaga Lake and east of the Oswego 

 canal. 



July 21, 1914, 10 P. M., I heard Night Herons "quawking" as they flew 

 around over the streets of Branchport. They seemed to be flying in cir- 

 cles and working to the west, then again in the evening of July 25 a single 

 Night Heron was seen at Branchport by Miss Sadler. April 23, 1916, 

 two Night Herons were seen by Mr. C. F. Stone and myself. They were 

 perched in a tree along the inlet. 



My last record for these birds was in the evening of June 18, 1919, 

 when I saw and heard one flying over the streets of Branchport. — Verdi 

 Burtch, Branchport, N. Y. 



Bittern Displaying Its White Nuptial Plumes.— On May 21, 1920, 

 when motoring with my friend, Dr. Lyman F. Bigelow, of Norwood, 

 Mass., we visited a swamp of moderate extent within the town of West- 

 wood, set as a bowl in the midst of woodland and surrounded on three 

 sides by the wooded land on slopes rising well above the level of the swamp, 

 which for the most part was bush-grown and not much open to view. 

 But on the fourth side, where a town road runs beside it, it lay fully open. 

 We had made the circuit of this swamp on foot, observing and enjoying 

 the singing land birds, and were returning on the road to our car when 

 our eyes, turned toward the swamp lying unobstructed before us, ob- 

 served two pure white patches, not stationary, but moving slowly along 

 among the bushes at the edge of the swamp. Our glasses at once revealed 

 the form of a Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) carrying these most con- 

 spicuous patches of white at each shoulder, as large as a man's hand but 

 not as long perhaps, being essentially round in form. Occasionally during 

 our observation of the bird, which was continued for twenty minutes or 

 more, these white feathers were raised as a ruff standing out from the nat- 

 ural contour of the bird; at other times they appeared to be more nearly 

 even with the other feathers. These ruffs almost met across the back, 

 but a narrow strip of brown feathers of the back was seen to separate 

 them. To our eyes these ruffs were pure white. This conspicuous display 

 of these large white patches was maintained without variation while we 

 remained — different positions which the bird assumed did not materially 

 change them. This Bittern occasionally 'pumped' and occasionally 

 moved at a more rapid pace than the usual slow dignified walk, and at 

 times strutted with the head carried forward. The erect stakelike posi- 

 tion was also at times assumed, more especially when we first viewed 

 the bird and it appeared that he was taking notice of our forms on the 

 highway. If he did discern us, it had no effect to dissuade him from 



