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together, like a rudder. He is very easily shot on the wing — easily hit, and dropping at a touch 

 even of fine shot. When winged, he croaks painfully as he drops, and no sooner does he touch 

 the ground than he gathers himself in defensive attitude to resent aggression as best he can. He 

 fights well, and with more spirit and determination than he might be expected to show — like 

 many other quiet inoffensive creatures when quite sure they have a grievance and are pushed to 

 desperation. He has a very ugly way of pointing his resistance with quick thrusts of his spear- 

 like bill, capable of inflicting no slight wound on an incautious hand. But it avails little ; a 

 kick from a cowhide boot, or a thump with the butt of a gun, generally decides the unequal 

 contest. 



" The food of this bird consists of various kinds of small aquatic animals. In its stomach 

 may be found different molluscs, crawfish, frogs, lizards, small snakes and fishes, as well as 

 insects. Such prey is captured, with great address, by spearing as the bird walks or wades 

 stealthily along. The thrust of the bill is marvellously quick and skilful ; more action is dis- 

 played on such occasions than probably under any other circumstance. As an article of food 

 itself, the Bittern is not a success, notwithstanding eminent authority to the contrary. I have 

 several times seen it brought to table under favourable culinary circumstances; but in each 

 instance it furnished occasion for a joke at some one's expense, as little relished, apparently, as 

 the meat itself." 



As regards what Dr. Coues says as to its edible qualities I can scarcely agree with him ; for 

 I have often found a grilled Bittern a very welcome addition to our meal in the backwoods, and, 

 whether it was that I had got tired of pork and molasses, or that hunger proved such an effective 

 sauce, or that our camp cook understood how to make them palatable, I can say that I have 

 enjoyed a meal off Bittern and cakes baked before a wood fire almost as much as I have a lunch 

 in a good Paris restaurant. 



The call- of the American Bittern differs a good deal from that of Botaurus stellaris. 

 Dr. Coues says : — " The curious noise is spoken of in Audubon as a ' hoarse croaking, as if the 

 throat were filled with water;' Nuttall makes a successful attempt to suggest the sound by the 

 syllables ' pump-aw-gah ;' but I prefer, on the whole, Mr. Samuels' rendering. ' In the mating- 

 season,' he says, ' and during the first part of the period of incubation, the male has a peculiar 

 love-note, that almost exactly resembles the stroke of a mallet on a stake — something like the 

 syllables chunk-a-lunk-chunk, quank chunk-a-lunk-chunk. I have often, when in the forests of 

 Northern Maine, been deceived by this note into believing that some woodsman or settler was in 

 my neighbourhood, and discovered my mistake only after toiling through swamp and morass for 

 perhaps half a mile.' Besides this peculiar call-note, the bird has another, its ordinary cry, 

 when its breast is not in the least swelling with the tender passion. This is a single, abrupt, 

 explosive syllable, something like quark or hauk, delivered with a rough, guttural intonation. 

 It is always uttered when the bird is surprised while feeding, or when its haunts are invaded. 

 As it lives so much among reeds and rushes, very often the first intimation one has of its presence 

 is the energetic utterance of this note, to be followed in an instant by the heavy form of the 

 bird itself as it tops the tall reeds. Ordinarily, however, the Bittern is decidedly a silent bird, 

 as it were mistrusting its vocal ability ; besides, noisiness is not altogether compatible with its 

 sedate ways and contemplative turn of mind. 



