DELAWARE VALLEY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 15 



leaves. Afterward I discovered that this nest rested on a 

 branch of a button- bush, running through the base of the plant. 

 Two days later both Bitterns were seen about this nest, (the 

 nest in the button-bush meanwhile having been destroyed), and 

 the male Bittern evidently brought something and fed the 

 female while she was on the nest. She accepted the food, and 

 then started to busy herself by pulling the tops of the leaves 

 together above the nest to form an arch after the manner of the 

 Kails. It did not work in this case, however, and she only 

 succeeded in tearing the leaf tips. On May 18, the nest con- 

 tained five eggs, a complete set. On this day another nest was 

 discovered in a button-bush three feet from the water, contain- 

 ing four eggs. This was probably a second nest built by the 

 birds whose nest I had first found, as it contained a short set 

 and two of the eggs failed to hatch. 



From the 18th of May I devoted most of my time to the arrow- 

 head lily nest, as I had found this nest as it was being built. 

 The nests were all constructed of piled sticks pointing toward 

 the center like the spokes of a wheel. The female Bittern at- 

 tended to most of the household duties, although the male came 

 in for his share. He did not stick to his work as faithfully as 

 the female, but left the nest when approached. The female 

 could not be forced to leave the nest during all the time she was 

 sitting. She simply would not budge, and had to be lifted 

 from the nest in order to see what was taking place beneath 

 her. At all times when approached she assumed a serpent-like 

 attitude, stretching her neck up and swaying her head back and 

 forth ; closer approach caused her to draw in her head close to 

 her body, spread her wings, and ruffle up her feathers, making 

 her body appear twice the normal size. Sometimes she made 

 fierce thrusts at the intruder, accompanied by loud squawks. 

 She really presented a very formidable appearance. In fact a 

 snake-loving friend whom I took with me on one occasion re- 

 fused to put his hand within reach of her bill, saying, "She 

 looks as if she would pick your eyes out." (This from one 

 who takes delight in hunting rattlesnakes. ) I found that these 

 fierce looks and serpent-like attitudes were all bluff, and that 

 even her pick was a weak affair, not equaling the pick of a set- 



