The Bittern and Spoonbill. 251 
himself, and attack anyone attempting to liandlc him. This 
species is quite easy to keep in captivity. Sufficient water to 
paddle in, and a supply of animal food will keep him in health 
for years. My bird fed freely on raw meat (chiefly horse- 
(ieshj) cut up into convenient sizes; and fish scraps served in the 
same way. He was also keen on small birds and mice, but 
his biggest treat was a surprise offering of live fish, placed in 
his water. A sudden gleam would replace a bored expression 
in his wary eye and he would elongate ^limself into a fishing 
rod before you could say "knife." Out would dart his wicked 
beak, the fish was caught and tossed down his throat, still 
wriggling. J have seen him swallow fish varying in size irom 
a sprat to a good sized herring, with equal ease. 
The Bittern has not, as far as I know, bred in captivity 
and it is doubtful if any young have been reared in England 
in a wild state for many a year. They are found in Holland, 
where they build their nests of reeds and sticks close to the 
water, or among the reeds. The hen usually lays four or five 
eggs of uniform pale brown. It is a difficult bird to study in 
the wild state as its natural shyness cannot be overcome, but 
its habits can be observed perfectly in captivity, where it as- 
sumes those curious shapes that distinguish these denizens of 
the swamps and reeds. 
The Spoonbill {Platalca leucorodia. Linn.) is another 
bird that has been har- 
ried and driven away from 
England. Like the "Bit- 
tern it can be observed 
in numbers in some parts 
of Holland. It is not a 
shy bird and can easily 
be studied in the breed- 
ing season, when it nests 
in colonies among the 
reeds. The nest is place'd 
close to the water's edge, 
and is made of the same 
material as that which 
surrounds it — reeds and 
flags, — in which the eggs, 
usually four in number, 
