80 EVERYDAY BIRDS 



There had been no bittern in this swamp the 

 season previous, nor did any breed here this 

 summer. I visited the place too often for him 

 to have escaped my notice, had he been present. 

 This bird, then, was a migrant, and his booming 

 was of interest as showing that the bittern, like 

 the song-birds, does not wait to get into summer 

 quarters before beginning to rehearse his love 

 music. 



Two days after this my companion of the year 

 before went with me again to Wayland, and, not 

 to prolong a long story, we sat again upon the 

 railway and watched a bittern pump for more 

 than an hour. This time, to be sure, he was 

 partially concealed by the grass, besides being 

 farther away than we could have wished. 



It was curious, and illustrated strikingly the 

 utihty of the bird's habit of standing motionless, 

 that my friend, who is certainly as sharp-eyed an 

 observer as I have ever known, was once more 

 completely taken in. As luck would have it, I 

 caught sight of the bird first, and when I pointed 

 him out to the other man he rephed, " Why, of 

 course I saw that, but it never occurred to me 

 but that it was a stake." 



We returned from this excursion fairly well 

 convinced that in the early part of the season, 

 while the grass is still short, one may hope to 



