THE BITTERN 343 



know nothing further of this important period in their life-history 

 than that during this time, and then only, the males emit the strange 

 booming sounds which have attracted the attention of poet and 

 peasant alike. 



But we need not despair. Even now this lamentable gap in our 

 knowledge may be filled, and by observations, too, on birds breeding 

 in Great Britain. And this because during last year, after the lapse 

 of more than a generation, the bittern bred with us once again, and 

 succeeded too in rearing young ! This remarkable event has been 

 vividly recounted by Miss E. L. Turner, who had the good fortune to 

 assist in the exploration for, and discovery of, a nest of young on one 

 of the Norfolk "broads" during the summer of 1911. She tells the 

 story of this wonderful event l tersely and vividly, but we can do no 

 more here than simply summarise her account thereof. Nothing of 

 the period of incubation came under observation, for when the nest 

 was discovered the birds were already fledged, though the adults had 

 been booming from January till June (1911). The young were not found 

 till 7th July, and then only after a most laborious search. The nest 

 had been placed amid a great reed-bed, and could only be approached 

 by wading up to the knees in water. Only one young bird was actually 

 found, but since the nest presented the appearance of having been 

 trampled down, and since the surface was covered with disintegrated 

 feather-sheaths and we suspect also powder-down to the depth of 

 nearly an inch, it was assumed that more than one youngster had 

 been reared there. But be that as it may, the nestling which was 

 found was discovered in the pose characteristic of his race when 

 fearful of detection with the dagger-like beak " thrust straight up- 

 wards, the bright eyes half closed, the feathers of the head and neck 

 smoothed downwards, their alternate light and dark bars blending with 

 the reeds ; while even the . . . bulky body, owing to its broken up 

 colouring, seemed absolutely to ' melt ' into its surroundings : the big 

 green legs and feet being partially submerged . . . might easily have 



1 Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Nat. HM. Soc., vol. ix., 1012, p. 433. 



