92 Brewster, Nuptial Plumes of Bitterns. [jan. 



I was now joined by Miss E. R. Simmons, Miss Alice Eastwood 

 (the California botanist) and my assistant Mr. R. A. Gilbert, all 

 of whom became at once deeply interested in the birds which had 

 stopped and were standing erect by the canal about twenty yards 

 apart. Suddenly both rose and flew straight at one another, 

 meeting in the air at a height of four or five feet above the marsh. 

 It was difficult to make out just what happened immediately 

 after this but we all thought that the birds came together with the 

 full momentum of rapid flight and then, clinching in some way, 

 apparently with both feet and bills, rose six or eight feet higher, 

 mounting straight upward and whirling around and around, 

 finally descending nearly to the ground. Just before reaching 

 it they separated and sailed (not flapped) off to their former 

 respective stations. After resting there a few minutes the mutual 

 attack was renewed in precisely the same manner as at first only 

 somewhat less vigorously. It was not repeated after this. Al- 

 though a most spirited tilt (especially on the first occasion), by 

 antagonists armed with formidable weapons (the dagger-like bills), 

 we could not see that any harm resulted from it to either bird. 

 When we crossed the river in a boat some fifteen minutes later 

 both Bitterns were still standing near the canal. Up to this time 

 both had shown the white continuously but it disappeared as we 

 were approaching them. One took flight when we were in the 

 middle of the river. We got within twenty yards of the other 

 before it moved and then it merely walked off over the marsh. 



Concord, April 18, 1910. Cloudy with fine, steady rain. Fore- 

 noon cool with chill east wind; afternoon warm with light south 

 wind. 



A close watch was kept for the Bitterns during the forenoon 

 but nothing was seen of them until afternoon when, about two 

 o'clock, both birds appeared in the marsh on the eastern side of 

 the canal. Mr. H. A. Purdie was now with me. He, Gilbert 

 and I had the Bitterns under observation for more than an hour. 

 During this time they rambled about over several acres of the 

 lawn-like marsh keeping, for the most part, however, near the 

 edge of the river here about one hundred and fifty yards in width. 

 They indulged in no tilting on this occasion nor once approached 

 each other nearer than thirty yards while not infrequently they 



