MISS E. L. TURNER ON THE RETURN OF THE BITTERN. 435 
which was the feeding ground and which the breeding site, 
but it was not till late in the evening that we both plunged 
into the dense reed-bed in which we believed the young to be 
concealed. Vincent had already made one unsuccessful attempt 
at finding the nest. "We had considerable difficulty in wading 
through the water, which was more than knee-deep, and in 
pushing through the tall reeds ; so eventually I stood still 
while he worked in circles round me. Just as the light was 
fading he came upon the young bird depicted here. To me 
as I carried the young Bittern to dry land he seemed the 
most entrancing bird I had ever seen, in spite of somewhat 
savage behaviour on his part. Mv first sight of him sud- 
denly recalled to mind an episode in my early bird-hunting 
career. I was wandering over the Winchelsea Marshes, 
peering into a reed-fringed dyke, when I suddenly found 
myself face to face with what I am sure was a Bittern in 
hiding. No one believed me in those days, and I had grown 
half sceptical of myself, till I saw this young Bittern thrust 
his head upwards and melt himself into his surroundings 
exactly as my Winchelsea bird had done. 
It was almost dark when Vincent and I emerged from the 
reed-bed with our find, so we left him in safe keeping till the 
next morning. When I returned at 4 a.m. with my camera 
he evinced considerable indignation, and stalked off in an 
injured frame of mind. Though unable to fly, owing to the 
undeveloped wing coverts, he could cover a considerable 
amount of ground in a few seconds. At 5 a.m. we took him 
back to his native reed-bed, and there we saw that the 
apparently ludicrous attitude he assumed on dry land was an 
instinctive pose tending to self-preservation, and bringing 
him into complete harmony with his surroundings. 
He uttered a curious bubbling note — easily imitated by 
blowing through a straw into a glass of water— and when we 
left him he began to “ bubble ” loudly for his parents. 
Vincent had tried to feed him with bits of frog, but as this 
