AMERICAN BITTERN. 99 



AMERICAN BITTERN, 



STAKE DRIVER. 

 BOTAURUS LENTIGINOSUS. 



Char. Upper parts brownish buff thickly spotted or mottled — 

 "freckled" — with reddish brown and black; neck buff; line down the 

 throat white, spotted with brown ; a patch of black or dark brown or gray 

 on the sides of the neck ; under parts pale buff striped with brown ; bill 

 rather short, stout, and of yellow color ; legs yellowish green. Length 25 

 to 30 inches. 



Nest. In a swamp or reedy marsh, placed on the ground ; a thick mat 

 of coarse grass loosely laid. 



Eggs. 3-5; brownish drab, sometimes with an olive tint; 1.90 X 1.45. 



The Bittern of America, though apparently nowhere numer- 

 ous, from its retiring habits, is found in almost every part of 

 the continent where there exist extensive marshes either 

 maritime or inland, up to the 58th parallel, and is found 

 in the morasses and willow-thickets of the interior throughout 

 the fur countries. From the inclement regions it retires in the 

 winter, while in other parts it is permanently resident. It is 

 said to revisit Severn River, at Hudson Bay, about the begin- 

 ning of June, nesting in the swamps among the sedges. It 

 breeds also in several parts of Massachusetts, young birds 

 being met with in the Fresh Pond marshes and other places 

 in the vicinity of Boston about the middle of summer. 



During the day the Night Hen, as it is here called, remains 

 hidden in the reeds and sedge, and rarely comes out till the 

 approach of night. When disturbed in its retreat, it flies off 

 with a hollow ^kwa, or kowk, kowk, and sometimes gives a loud 

 squeak of alarm ; at this time, as it flies heavily and at no great 

 height, it is easily shot down. These birds are also sometimes 

 obtained by lying in wait for them as they sally out in the 

 evening towards the salt-marshes, in a particular direction, 

 in quest of food. 



In the breeding-season and throughout a great part of the 

 summer we often hear the loud booming note of this bird from 

 the marshes of Fresh Pond, morning and evening, and some- 



