122 ARDEIN^E. BOTAURUS. 



broad, somewhat rounded ; tail short, of twelve or ten 

 weak feathers. 



The Ardeinse are essentially piscivorous, but also feed 

 on Crustacea, mollusca, worms, insects, occasionally rep- 

 tiles, small quadrupeds, and young birds. They walk 

 sedately, often gracefully, wade into shallow water, seize 

 their prey with a sudden jerk of the head, and generally 

 swallow it entire. Their voice is a harsh grating scream, 

 or a guttural croak. They nestle on the ground, or on 

 trees, often in large communities, and lay from two to 

 five eggs of a light greenish-blue colour. Species occur 

 in all countries, but are more numerous toward the equa- 

 tor. Only one is common in Britain, but eleven others 

 occur there, most of them as accidental or occasional 

 visitants. 



GENUS CXIII. BOTAURUS. BITTERN. 



The Bitterns are generally distinguishable by the ex- 

 treme compression of their body ; their shorter legs, and 

 proportionally longer claws ; the great elongation of the fea- 

 thers of the neck, which is bare behind in nearly its whole 

 length ; their oblong, extremely compressed head, and very 

 slender, straight bill. The latter is longer than the head, 

 compressed, tapering to a fine point ; the upper mandible 

 with the dorsal line almost straight, the ridge flattened for 

 a short space, then narrow, the nasal groove deep, and ex- 

 tending to near the end, the sides convex, the edges sharp, 

 serrulate, with a notch close to the acute top ; lower mandible 

 with the angle very long and extremely narrow, the dorsal 

 line almost straight and slightly ascending, the sides slightly 

 concave and nearly erect, the tip acuminate ; the gape-line 

 straight, unless at the base. Tongue long, slender, trigonal ; 

 oesophagus very wide ; stomach roundish, with the walls very 

 thin, and a round pyloric lobe ; intestine long, narrow ; an 

 oblong ccecal head ; cloaca globular. Nostrils linear. Eyes 

 large. Aperture of ear rather small. Legs of moderate 

 length ; tibia bare for a short space ; tarsus with very broad 



