262 



ORDERS OF BIRDS— HERONS, STORKS, AND IBISES 



New York Zoological Park. 

 GREAT WHITE EGRET. 



of the Order of Herons with pure white pkimago, 

 the great white heron beiiig the first. Much to 

 the misfortune of this species, it possesses about 

 fifty "aigrette" plumes which droop in graceful 

 curves from the middle of its back, far be)'ond 

 the tail and wing tips. For these Ijeautiful 

 feathers this bird also has been pursued by plume- 

 hunters, to the point of total extermination. 

 A very few individuals are yet living in Florida, 

 but they will all be blotteil out within a short 

 period. 



The American Bittern' is a fairly large 

 bird, of a yellowish-brown color, elaborately 

 mottled and streaked with x'arious shades of 

 light and dark. When standing in concealment, 

 it draws in its neck until it wholly disappears in 

 its plumage. The result is an cgg-sha|.)ed bird, 

 with a beak at the small end, pointing heaven- 

 ward, and short, thirk legs below. I have seen 

 a Bittern stand motionless in tliat idiotic atti- 



' Bo-tan'ru:i len-lig-i-)io'sti!<. Length, 26 inches. 



tude for nearly an hour at a time. Even in 

 the whirling gayety of a big Flying Cage, it 

 takes hfe sadly, and never makes merry, as do 

 all other birds, even the funereal vultures. 

 Standing erect, however, the Bittern is a bird 

 with a fair length of neck; but its neck seems 

 much too large and heavy for its body. 



liecause of the peculiar sound it utters, the 

 Bittern is called the " Stake- Driver," and 

 "Thunder-Pumper." I have never heard thun- 

 der pumped, but with stake-driving am (juite 

 familiar, and must say that I never heard a 

 Bittern give forth a cry that sounded like it. 

 I think also that the "booming" of the Bittern 

 should be taken subject to inspection and ap- 

 |)ro\'al ; for to at least one tympanum there is 

 a wide difference between a real "boojn" and 

 the alleged "boom" of the Bittern. 



This bird inhabits sloughs and marshes of 

 tall, rank grass, in which it hides most success- 

 fully by standing very erect, and jiointing its 



^^©% 



AMERICAN- BITTERN. 



beak toward the zenith. It feeds chiefly upon 

 frogs, small snakes, lizards, and crawfisli. 



