86 NOTES ON THE 
expressibly infelicitous love notes. Standing perfectly erect 
and entirely motionless, the bill pointed exactly toward the 
zenith, the head is seen to be very slowly sinking while the 
body correspondingly assumes the horizontal position and the 
neck becomes sigmoid by its double flexion, it suddenly shoots 
forward and a little downward and laboriously pumps out the 
amorous utterances, doubtless to the entire satisfaction of «the 
waiting ear, whether the mate’s or another masculine repre- 
sentative of his species that accepts it as a challenge to come 
over and get most ingloriously thrashed. Aspectively the per- 
formance is suggestive of strangulation until ‘‘kunk-ah- 
whulnk” has all been ejected. If any other performance 
could match this in uncouthness to eye or ear, it has not been 
mine to witness it with either of those senses. The food con- 
sists principally of frogs, in the seizure of which their heron- 
like manner of remaining motionless for long periods that the 
unapprised reptiles may unconsciously come within easy reach, 
is a pretty sure guaranty that they shall have enough to eat as" 
long as the frogs last. It is seldom that more than one indi- 
vidual is seen in any one immediate locality, when it must have 
been discovered at a distance while in its perpendicular atti- 
tude, or by some sudden surprise, for they drop the head down 
so slowly as to allude observation, and then run at a rapid pace 
through the grass, weeds, reeds and rushes to a considerable 
distance in some unexpected direction, and there remain hidden 
until all danger of discovery is past before resuming their 
watch for frogs and small snakes. One may pass very near 
where they are concealed without flushing them, as they are 
capable of judging very accurately whether they are actually 
under the eye of the intruder or not. 
By the first week in August the young have attained the gen- 
eral appearance of the adults, and when the frogs disappear 
they do likewise. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Upper mandible black; the lower greenish-yellow; lores and 
eyelid yellow; iris bright yellow; upper part of head depressed, 
with the plumage there deep blackish-brown; long, yellowish- 
brown feathers on the neck behind shaded with darker; throat 
whitish, streaked with dark brown; from the posterior and 
lower part of the auriculars, a broad patch of black passes di- 
agonally across the neck; back deep brown barred and mottled 
with many specks and streaks of brownish-yellow; quills black 
with a leaden gloss, and tipped with ocherous brown; legs and 
feet yellow, washed with pale green; middle claw pectinated; 
beneath pale yellowish-brown streaked with darker brown. 
