LITTLE BITTERN. 567 



frost of 1822-3, and was given by himself to Mrs. Baker's 

 brother, the late Mr. Girdlestone. * 



Some, if not prevented, would probably have bred in 

 this country. Montagu, in his Supplement, says, " A fe- 

 male of this rare species was shot contiguous to the river 

 Credy, in Devonshire, in t^e month of May, 1808. It was 

 only wounded in the wing, and was kept alive for two 

 days ; and it was observed to sit with its neck contracted 

 like the Common Heron, but with the bill pointing up- 

 wards. Upon dissection, about forty eggs were counted in 

 the ovaries, some of which were so considerably enlarged, 

 as to induce an opinion that a brood would have been pro- 

 duced in this country, especially as a male was afterwards 

 shot not very distant, and had been previously seen near 

 the same place. A third was also killed in the same 

 neighbourhood during that summer." 



Early in September, 1839, Mr. Heysham, of Carlisle, 

 sent me word that about two months previous to the date 

 of his letter a beautiful pair of adult Little Bitterns were 

 shot at or near South Waltham, where it was supposed 

 they had a nest; and in the summer of 1826, a young 

 specimen of the Little Bittern was shot on the banks of the 

 Thames, near Windsor ; it was believed to have been bred 

 there, from the situation being favourable, and the circum- 

 stance of a second bird in the same state of plumage 

 being seen about the same spot for several days at that 

 time. 



The Little Bittern inhabits marshes by the sides of 

 rivers, plantations of osiers, and other moist situations in 

 which reeds and aquatic herbage grow luxuriantly. They 

 feed upon the fry of fish, frogs, and other small reptiles, 

 mollusca, and insects. The note of the male, M. Vieillot 

 says, resembles the barking of a large dog, when heard at 

 a distance. The nest is formed upon the ground of flag- 



