LITTLE BITTEKN 31 



Louth, Westmeath, Longford, Galway, Armagh, and 

 Antrim. 



Illustrative of the ease with which this bird might be 

 overlooked, even on an open swamp devoid of cover, I quote 

 the following interesting passage from Mr. Ussher's ' Birds 

 of Ireland,' p. 165. It relates to a bird which was kept in 

 captivity, and, owing to the extraordinary attitudes which 

 it was wont to assume, some visitors failed to recognise its 

 presence in the cage! The writer says: "When uncon- 

 scious of observation it would walk about the cage with 

 neck retracted, the head resting on its shoulders, or, if 

 minnows were -placed under its perch, it would shoot out 

 its long neck, reaching down and capturing them with 

 dexterity ; but when approached it used to stand still and 

 begin to elongate itself slowly, and while it stood previously 

 about ten inches high, it now assumed a height of sixteen 

 or more ; its bill was then pointed upwards, its eyes being 

 directed straight towards the intruder, and its neck and 

 body stretched and compressed. In this position it looked 

 so unlike a bird, that visitors, standing a few feet from it, 

 have asked where it was." 



Food. During the day the Little Bittern hides in reed- 

 beds or other available cover which is to be found on marshy 

 ground, by the margin of river, or lake. At night it looks 

 for its food, which consists of frogs, fish, snails, worms, 

 and insects. 



Voice. The voice is a grunting croak, and the note may 

 be syllabled, gruck-gruck-groff. 



Nest. The nest is built among sedges, of which it is 

 mainly composed, but bushes and low trees growing near 

 a bog are also utilised. The eggs, four, five, or more 

 to the clutch, are dull white with a muddy grey-green 

 tinge. Incubation begins about the middle of May. 



Not so long ago the Little Bittern probably nested 

 on the Broads of Norfolk, and elsewhere in England at 

 an earlier period. A pair were observed at Eollesby Broad, 

 Norfolk, during the. months of May, June, and July, which 

 fact affords strong evidence that they were breeding, pro- 

 vided they were not immature birds (Gurney, ' Zoologist/ 

 1894, p. 88, and 1895, p. 98). 



Geographical distribution. The Little Bittern nests in 

 Southern Europe, Western Asia, Northern Africa, and the 

 adjoining Islands. It has occurred as a wanderer to the 

 Faroes, Iceland, and other Northern countries in Europe. 



