176 



NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



that he has heard the bellowing and rumbling of the male bittern innumerable times, 

 often throughout the whole night. He describes the sound as "# prumb" the latter 

 syllable much louder than the former, repeated several times. He sometimes heard, 

 when he succeeded in getting close enough, a low sound precede the bellow, as if the 

 surface of the water was beaten with a reed. The roar sounds, close by, nearly as 

 strong as the bellow of an ox and may be heard, during a still night, at a distance of 

 from three to four miles, according to circumstances. Naumann himself was never so 



FIG. 85. Anieomeya goliath, African giant-heron. 



fortunate as to see the bird during the performance. Count Wodzicki, however, 

 also known as an excellent observer, was more successful, and describes it in the fol- 

 lowing manner : " The artist was standing on both legs, with the body horizontal, and 

 the bill in the water, and then a rumbling began, the water spouting about all the time. 

 After a few sounds I heard the 'tl' described by Naumann; the bird lifted the 

 head, threw it backwards, put it again rapidly into the water, producing a roar that 

 startled me." The sound of the American bittern (B. lentiginosus) is described as 



