The Bittern. 357 



" So that scarce 



The Bittern knows his time, with bill ingulf d 

 To shake the sounding marsh." 



And Southey also describes the peculiar noise of this 

 bird in his poern of Thalaba : 



"And when at evening, o'er the swampy plain, 



The Bittern's boom came far, 



Distinct in darkness seen 

 Above the low horizon's lingering light, 

 Rose the near ruins of old Babylon." 



Sometimes in the evening the Bittern soars on a sud- 

 den in a straight, or, at other times, in a spiral line, so 

 high in the air, that it ceases to be perceptible to the 

 eye. When attacked by the buzzard, or other birds of 

 prey, it defends itself with great courage, and generally 

 beats off such assailants ; neither does it betray any 

 symptoms of fear when wounded by the sportsman, but 

 eyes him with a keen, undaunted look ; and, when 

 driven to extremity, will attack him with the utmost 

 vigour, wounding his legs, or aiming at his eyes with 

 its sharp and piercing bill. It was formerly held in 

 much estimation at the tables of the great, and is again 

 recovering its credit as a fashionable dish. The flesh is 

 considered delicious. In autumn it changes its abode, 

 always commencing its journey at sunset. Its precau- 

 tions for concealment and security seem directed with 

 great care and circumspection. It usually sits in the 

 reeds with its head erect ; and thus, from its great 

 length of neck, sees over their tops, without itself being 

 perceived by the sportsman. The principal food of 

 these birds, during summer, consists of fish and frogs ; 

 but in autumn they resort to the woods in pursuit of 

 mice, which they seize with great dexterity, and always 

 swallow whole. About this season they usually become 

 very fat. 



