LITTLE-BITTERN 349 



coughing note of a gas-engine, and it has been described as a bark, 

 but this seems to give quite a wrong impression of the note. Hocke 

 states that he has heard it from 18th May to 13th July, or even 20th. 

 Naumann states that when the hen is disturbed from the nest she 

 makes a quacking noise, which he writes as "gdih, gath" or "get, get," 

 and this has been copied into many books. Hocke, who found over a 

 hundred nests at different times, states that he never heard anything 

 but varied intonations of the same note, and neither of the writers of 

 this paper has heard any sound from birds which they have flushed. 

 After the young are hatched they remain in the nest for some days 

 and are brooded by the old bird. Both parents share in the work of 

 providing food, which is brought to the nest and ejected there for the 

 young to feed themselves. The newly hatched young are quaint little 

 objects, covered with fine ochreous coloured down, which is longest 

 on the head. When only ten or twelve days old they have a very good 

 idea of self-defence, and will strike with incredible speed at the eyes 

 of an unwary opponent. One young bird which Hocke had taken from 

 the nest struck at the nostril of a puppy which approached it, and 

 when another larger dog came up, attracted by the howls of the victim, 

 it too was struck with considerable force on the nose in the same way. 

 After delivering its blow, the bittern instantly assumed an attitude of 

 serene contemplation ! 



One of the most curious points about this interesting bird is the 

 power which it possesses of assuming attitudes which in its natural 

 surroundings are wonderfully protective. Lodge was once fortunate 

 enough to witness an instance of this in Montenegro. Seeing a marsh- 

 harrier sitting on a pile of dead reeds on the far side of a reed-grown 

 lake, he approached in order to see if there was a nest. After the 

 harrier had flown off, on reaching the spot he was surprised to see a 

 curious object on the water, which appeared to be a bird of some sort. 

 Gradually drawing nearer, it was recognised as a living little-bittern. 

 It was lying flat on the water in a shapeless lump, as if dead ; in fact 

 it was so unbird-like in appearance that it was difficult to realise that 



VOL. iv. 2 Y 



