BITTERN. 505 



inch. It is almost impossible to distinguish the eggs of the Common 

 Bittern from those of the American Bittern. The only eggs of a British 

 bird with which they can be confused are those of the Pheasant; but 

 the latter are more olive in colour and are much smaller. The eggs of 

 the Bittern, when held up to the light, are not green inside, like those 

 of the Herons, but yellowish brown. The eggs of the Common Bittern 

 vary somewhat in shape, some specimens being pointed almost as much at 

 each end, like those of a Grebe. 



Except perhaps at the season of migration, the Bittern is a solitary bird, 

 and has never been known to breed in company with others of its own or 

 different species. It has the reputation of being one of the least sociable of 

 birds ; and Naumann asserts that to avoid detection it sometimes remains 

 perfectly motionless in a very peculiar position, imitating the appearance 

 of a bunch of dead reeds, to deceive the passer-by : seated on its tarsi, its 

 tail on the ground, the body is held erect, the neck is extended, and it 

 points its beak upwards. 



Almost every feather in the plumage of the Bittern is buff, irregularly 

 vermiculated with obscure cross bars and shaft-lines of brownish black, 

 most conspicuous on the back and scapulars. The forehead, crown, and 

 nape are almost uniform dark brown, and the feathers on each side of the 

 breast are uniform dark brown margined with buff, but the latter are 

 almost concealed by the elongated feathers of the lower neck. Bill 

 greenish yellow ; legs and feet yellowish green ; claws dark brown ; hides 

 yellow; bare space before the eye yellowish green. There are no impor- 

 tant differences in the colour of the plumage attributable to age, sex, or 

 season. The young birds are covered with rusty-yellow down. 



