﻿250 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  while 
  driving 
  a 
  stake 
  in 
  the 
  mud; 
  hence 
  the 
  popular 
  names 
  of 
  Thunder- 
  

   pumper, 
  Stake-driver, 
  Bog-bull 
  etc. 
  Persons 
  who 
  are 
  unfamiliar 
  with 
  the 
  

   bittern's 
  note 
  pass 
  it 
  by 
  unnoticed, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  stood 
  on 
  piers 
  and 
  

   bridges 
  where 
  several 
  people 
  were 
  congregated 
  and 
  bitterns 
  were 
  booming 
  

   near 
  by, 
  but 
  no 
  one 
  seemed 
  to 
  notice 
  the 
  strange 
  note 
  and 
  when 
  asked 
  con- 
  

   cerning 
  it, 
  they 
  usually 
  admitted 
  they 
  had 
  never 
  heard 
  it 
  before. 
  

  

  When 
  flushed 
  from 
  its 
  retreat 
  on 
  the 
  marsh 
  or 
  riverside, 
  the 
  bittern 
  

   rises 
  with 
  a 
  hoarse 
  croak, 
  its 
  neck 
  stretched 
  out, 
  its 
  legs 
  dangling, 
  and 
  

   seeming 
  to 
  shrink 
  in 
  mortal 
  terror 
  from 
  the 
  impending 
  danger, 
  until 
  w^ell 
  

   under 
  way, 
  when 
  it 
  makes 
  off 
  with 
  slow 
  and 
  measured 
  stroke 
  of 
  its 
  ample 
  

   wings. 
  Its 
  nest 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  secluded 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  marsh 
  among 
  the 
  grass 
  

   and 
  weeds 
  and 
  consists 
  simply 
  of 
  a 
  broad 
  fiat 
  pile 
  of 
  dead 
  grass, 
  flags 
  and 
  

   weed 
  stalks. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  five 
  in 
  number, 
  of 
  a 
  brownish 
  

   drab 
  color, 
  about 
  2 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  1.5 
  in 
  lesser 
  diameter. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  bittern 
  consists 
  largely 
  of 
  frogs 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  all 
  kinds 
  

   of 
  small 
  animals 
  which 
  inhabit 
  the 
  marsh, 
  even 
  mice 
  and 
  small 
  birds, 
  but 
  

   fish 
  are 
  rarely 
  found 
  in 
  its 
  stomach. 
  It 
  often 
  stands 
  motionless 
  in 
  the 
  grass 
  

   with 
  its 
  bill 
  pointing 
  upward, 
  its 
  attitude, 
  streaked 
  neck, 
  general 
  hue, 
  

   and 
  the 
  black 
  diagonal 
  patch 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  its 
  neck, 
  all 
  combining 
  to 
  

   render 
  it 
  invisible. 
  On 
  several 
  occasions 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  quite 
  impossible 
  

   to 
  point 
  out 
  successfully 
  to 
  companions 
  a 
  bittern 
  which 
  was 
  standing 
  in 
  

   full 
  view 
  at 
  no 
  great 
  distance, 
  and 
  often, 
  when 
  finally 
  successful, 
  have 
  been 
  

   met 
  with 
  the 
  assertion 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  no 
  bird 
  at 
  all. 
  

  

  The 
  bittern 
  is 
  now 
  protected 
  by 
  our 
  laws 
  and 
  I 
  see 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  such 
  

   an 
  interesting 
  bird 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  preserved. 
  

  

  Ixobrychus 
  exilis 
  (Gmelin) 
  

   Least 
  Bittern 
  

  

  Plate 
  23 
  

  

  Ardea 
  exilis 
  Gmelin. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  1 
  788. 
  2 
  : 
  645 
  

  

  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  225, 
  fig. 
  190 
  

   Ardetta 
  exilis 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  191 
  

  

  ixobrychus, 
  perhaps 
  from 
  Gr. 
  t^o's, 
  birdlime; 
  and 
  fipvxaofmi, 
  to 
  bellow 
  ; 
  exi'lis, 
  Lat., 
  slight, 
  

  

  small 
  

  

  Description. 
  Male: 
  Crown, 
  back, 
  rump 
  and 
  tail 
  glossy 
  black, 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  stripe 
  of 
  buffy 
  along 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  back; 
  hind 
  neck, 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  