Least Bittern 391 



Least Bittern. I came upon three young birds, in a bush, that probably 

 were only a day or two out of the nest. Evidently, they had traveled 

 sonic distance from the place of their hatching, for there was no shelter 

 within a hundred yards where the nest could have been concealed, and all 

 search failed to reveal it. I was passing within five feet of their hiding- 

 place when I discovered them. All were standing perfectly still, with 

 their bodies compressed rigid and upright, and their long necks and bills 

 pointing straight upward. Foolishly, I tried to take one in my hand, and 

 it immediately flew, but either through weakness or some other cause, 

 fell into the water before going far. I picked it up and restored it to the 

 bush, but it at once attempted to escape, this time falling almost at once. 

 Fearing that by repeated annoyance the bird might Young 



overdo its strength and perhaps drown, I backed the Bd 



boat slowly away, and in a few minutes had the satis- 

 faction of seeing the young Bittern rejoin its companions on the bush. 

 The other two being wiser, or less frightened perhaps, had made no effort 

 to escape, and, so far as could be seen, had never changed their position 

 since my first intrusion. 



There are some birds that seek their living while hopping or flitting 

 in bushes or trees ; others as they walk or hop along the ground ; some as 

 they circle through the air far above the ground, and still others while 

 swimming on the water or diving below its surface. This Bittern belongs 

 to- the family of Herons, and, as is well-known. Herons secure their prey 

 by wading in shallow water and striking out with their long, sharp bills. 

 Although a Heron the Least Bittern does not go fishing in this way. 

 Its body is light and its toes long and flexible. Apparently, it feeds 

 entirely where the water is too deep for the bird to wade. With lowered 

 head and bill extended, it goes through the marsh grass or reeds, grasping 

 first one stalk and then another, as it proceeds just above the water. 



The great naturalist, John James Audubon, tells us in his writings 

 about the kind of food this bird eats. He says : 



"The food of this bird consists of snails, slugs, tadpoles, or young 

 frogs or water-lizards. In several instances, however, I have found small 

 shrews and field-mice in their stomach. Although . 



more nocturnal than diurnal, it moves a good deal 

 about by day in search of food. About noon, being ^ CT 



doubtless much fatigued, they are not infrequently 

 observed standing erect on one foot, and so soundly asleep as to be easily 

 knocked down or even caught by the hand, if cautiously approached." 



The Least Bittern is fully 16 inches in length, provided the measure- 

 ment is made from the tip of the bill to the end of the nail of the long 

 little toe. From tip to tip of its wings, when these are spread, the dis- 

 tance is \V'i feet. It is astonishing how a bird of this size can pass with 

 such ease through the thick clusters of reeds and rushes among which 

 its life is spent. Audubon, who kept some of them in captivity for a 

 time, found that they could easily pass through a crack only one inch 

 in width, and this without any special effort or evidence of distress on 

 tin- part of the bird. Like the Rail and some other water birds, it has 

 the power of greatly compressing its body, thus making it thinner than 

 at normal times. 



