THE BITTERN. 179 



The Great Heron, if taken young, may be tamed 

 without difficulty, but the old ones refuse all kinds of 

 food when in captivity, and if not set free, will soon 

 pine away and die. 



The Herons are the most voracious of all eaters, the 

 number of fish they devour being almost incredible. 

 The English Heron w r eighs only four pounds, and yet 

 Willoughby says he has known one of them to eat six- 

 teen carp at a meal; and Mr. Bingley states, that a 

 bird of this kind, one day with another, was known 

 to eat fifty fish, of moderate size. 



THE BITTERN. 



The Bitterns are a tribe of birds, which possess char- 

 acters arid habits similar to those of the cranes and 

 herons. They live on fish and insect?, and inhabit 

 swamps and marshes, as well as the sea shore. They 

 are smaller in size than the herons, but not so slender. 

 Their bills are exceedingly sharp, and they are very 

 expert at catching fish and insects. 



AMERICAN BITTERN. 



How large is the American Bittern ? 



The American Bittern is three feet three inches 

 long from the bill to the tail ; and with the wings 

 spread, three feet and a half in extent. 



What colour is this bird ? 



The colour of the neck, breast, and under parts of 

 this bird is yellowish brown, spotted with dark brown ; 



