THE CHESTNUT BITTERN 
Other habits: — It seems tolerably certain that this specks, 
must breed in Singapore but we know no record of its nest and 
eggs having been found here. This is not surprising for Indian 
ornithologists say that it nests on the ground in swampy places 
although many nests are recorded as being placed a few feet 
above the ground. The nest is made of short lengths of reeds, 
sedge or grass, etc., and the eggs which are 5 or 6 in number 
are dull white. 
Local Malays also seem to find the nest rather difScult 
to find for we have been solemnly assured that if the nest of 
either this bird or the ruak-ruak (white breasted water-hen) 
is placed over the head, the wearer becomes invisible! 
Another species of small and light-coloured bittern is 
fairly common in Singapore and as it is found in similar 
situations to the last species there is a possibility of the two 
birds being confused. The yellow bittern as one may call it 
{Ixobrychus sinensis), is rather smaller than the chestnut 
bittern. Its total length averages about 14 or 15 inches and 
the wing about 5A inches. In plumage the two species are 
much alike at first sight, but sinensis has the wing quills and 
the tail quite black whereas in Litniamomfus these are chestnut 
hke the rest of the plumage on the upper parts. The black 
quills of the former species will serve to identify the bird in 
the field. When it jumps up at least half the wing appears to 
be black. 
We cannot leave the bitterns without referring to the 
protection they derive from their peculiar coloration. It seems 
a general rule among these brown or yellowish reed-haunting 
bitterns tJiat when they are alarmed they stand motionless 
with the body held in a vertical position, neck stretched stiffly 
upwards and bill pointed to the sky. The broken browns of 
the plumage all help to conceal the bird from the prying eyes 
of its enemies. What is to our mind one of the best accounts 
of a protective device in the bird world that has yet been 
published is from the pen of Mr. W, H, Hudson and deals with 
an American species of bittern very closely allied to our 
chestnut bittern, and there is not the sightest doubt that patient 
observation of our local species would produce equally 
interesting results:—" I noticed one of these Herons 
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