COMMON BITTERN. 143 



wings rather long, the three first quills longest, 



second rather exceeding. 

 Types, B. stellaris, lentiginosa, &c. Europe, Asia, 



Africa, America. 

 Note. Nocturnal, skulking. Back of the neck 



bare of feathers ; those of the sides elongated, 



covering it, but capable of erection. Nest large, 



placed on or near the ground. 



THE COMMON BITTERN. 



Butor Stellaris. 



PLATE V. 



Ardea stellaris, Penn. <%c Botaurus stellaris. Heron 

 Grand Butor, Temm. The Common Bittern, or Bittern- 

 Heron of British authors. 



THE Bittern, like all our marsh birds, is, at the 

 present time, much less common than it was fifty 

 years since; yet it is still frequently met with, 

 and, in one or two instances, is recorded as breed- 

 ing 1 in England. The general time of its ap- 

 pearance is in winter, or on the decline of the 

 year; and, as observed by most of our modern 

 writers, in some seasons they are much more 



