•76 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Mi - . Louis Kellogg found three nests 



containing eggs near Kalamazoo in 



May 18U2. 



These nests were not far apart, showing 



conclusively that the species, as with 



other members of its family, is at times 



gregarious. 



The song of the Indian Hen is decid- 

 edly peculiar, although it certainly can- 

 not be called melodious. However it 

 undoubtedly answers the purpose of 

 the performer, in charming the lady in 

 the case, during early courtship, or in 

 cheering her while engaged in the con- 

 fining duties of incubation. Sometimes 

 one can hear an irregular gutteral sound 

 issuing from the throat of the bird, and 

 this is undoubtedly its effort at social 

 conversation, as ii, like the call note, 

 is common to both sexes. The regula- 

 tion vernal ditty is plum pudden uttered 

 in a loud resonant key, and which can 

 be heard for nearly a mile on a clear, 

 quiet morning. These notes, so plainly 

 uttered, and from which the bird re- 

 ceives one of his characteristic names, 

 are repeated from four to eight times, 

 generally six or seven. Another sound 

 produced by this singular marsh inhab- 

 itant, so nearly resembles the noise 

 made by pounding with a maul, ka 

 whack, that our friend has added to his 

 list of names that of Stake-driver. 



These sounds are issued with appar- 

 ent effort, the bird going through gro- 

 tesque contortions as an accompani- 

 ment, and from the peculiar motions 

 this bog-trotter has been called Thunder 

 Pumper. 



The Bittern does not wacle as much 

 as the other Herons but stalks along 

 the banks like a sentinel. It is a great 

 destroyer of fish, but also feeds largely 

 on frogs. As the chilly nights of Octo- 

 ber come on the Stake-driver seeks 

 southern resorts and is rarely seen af- 

 ter Nov. 10. 



LEAST BITTERN. 



This silent, retiring little bird is but 

 little known to anv but enthusiastic col- 



lectors and close observers. It is the 

 smallest of the group in Michigan and 

 the most handsome in appearance if we 

 except the Egrets. The Least Bittern is 

 very retiring and unless search is made 

 for it in the marshy tracts about the' 

 lakes and ponds its presence will never 

 be recognized. 



It arrives in April or early May aid 

 begins nest building oftentimes by the 

 middle of the mouth. The proper time 

 to hunt for the full sets of eggs is about 

 June tenth, yet f have secured incubat- 

 ed eggs in May. The avt rage nest holds 

 five eggs while several nests contained 

 six eggs of a pale blue color, and one 

 complete set only held four 



The color is much lighter than in the 

 eggs of any other Heron here and the 

 eggs are very nearly, often perfectly, el- 

 liptical. 



The nest is sometimes built on a tus- 

 sock of grass, the support being furnish- 

 ed by the coarse grass which is bent 

 down by the birds, but much oftener 

 the frail structure is entwined at its 

 sides with the uprights of rushes, the 

 stalks of the cat-tail flag, typha being 

 frequently selected. The nest is com- 

 posed of coarse grass woven together 

 in a very sliifiless manner. It is nine 

 or ten inches across and is nearly Hat, 

 in fact barely enough of a hollow to se- 

 cure the eggs. 



Almost invariably the structure is 

 partially covered by aflimsily construct 

 ed canopy for concealment, and at tim- 

 es this makes it rather difficult to tind, 

 especially if the old bird is not at home. 

 When the bird is on the nest it is an 

 easy matter to secure her and thejiinding 

 of the eggs is no trouble at all, as she 

 flies away in plain sight generally. Oc- 

 casionally an attempt is made to escape 

 in the grass, but this is usually clumsily 

 done and I have known the bird to be 

 caught in the act. 



So far as I know the Least Bittern is 

 silent and has cnot been known to 

 utter a sound even when captured. It 



