THE BLACK-GROWNED night heron. 
547 
The “booming” of the Bittern is regarded as a myth. No such sound as can be under- 
stood as similar is uttered by it. It has a hollow croak, when alarmed. Audubon likens it to 
a “ hoarse croaking, as if the throat were filled with water.” Nuttall more successfully 
likens it to pump-au-gah. Mr. Samuels renders it as follows: “In the mating season, and 
during the first part of the period of incubation, the male has a peculiar note, that almost 
exactly resembles the stroke of a mallet on a stake ; something like the syllables chunk-a-lunk- 
chunk , quank-chunk-a-lunk-cMmk. I have often, when in the forests of Northern Maine, 
been deceived by this note into believing that some woodman or settler was in my neighbor- 
hood, and discovered my mistake after toiling a mile or so through swamps.” Besides this 
peculiar note, the bird has another, its ordinary cry. This is a single, abrupt, explosive 
syllable, something like quark , or Tiauk , delivered with a rough, guttural intonation. Ordina- 
rily the Bittern is a silent bird. It is migratory, and, excepting the Blue Heron, no bird is 
more extensively dispersed. It is wild, shy, and somewhat solitary. When disturbed, he 
gives a vigorous spring, croaks at the moment in a manner highly expressive of disgust, and 
flies olf as fast as he can, though in rather a loose, lumbering way. For some distance he flaps 
heavily with dangling legs and outstretched neck. 
Least Bittern ( Ardetta exilis). Inhabits the United States and British provinces, Cuba, 
Jamaica, Central, and possibly South America. It breeds throughout its range in the States, 
and winters in the South. It is not anywhere abundant, though very generally distributed. 
It inhabits reedy swamps, and is regularly migratory, passing northward in April, and return- 
ing in September. It is rather more numerous in the Gulf States than elsewhere. Unlike the 
other species of Herons, it does not gather in communities to breed, but is oftener found in 
single pairs, or, at most, three or four. It is the smallest known species of the whole tribe. It 
rarely visits salt meadows. Wilson says it is an uncommon bird to the sea-coast peoples of 
New Jersey, but a few breed near Philadelphia, in the fresh meadows of the Schuylkill River. 
When alarmed, it seldom flies far, but takes shelter among the reeds, seldom being seen, as it 
feeds at night. Its length is twelve inches, and sixteen inches in extent of wing. The eyes 
are bright yellow, which gives the bird a bright look. The sexes are nearly alike in color. 
Audubon says: “The nest is sometimes placed upon the ground, amid the rankest grasses, 
but more frequently it is attached to the stems, several inches above it. It is flat, composed 
of dried or rotten weeds. In two instances, I found the nests of the Least Bittern about three 
feet from the ground, in a thick cluster of smilax and other briary plants. In the first, two 
nests were placed in the same bush, within a few yards of each other. In the other instance, 
there was only one nest of this bird, but several of the Boat-tailed G-rakle, and one of the 
Green Heron, the occupants of all of which seemed to be on friendly terms. When startled 
from the nest, the old birds emit a few notes, resembling the syllable qua, alight a few yards 
off, and watch all your movements. If you go towards them you may sometimes take the 
female in your hand, but rarely the male, who generally flies off, or makes his way through 
the woods. Like the other Herons, its food is small reptiles, fishes, insects, etc. Often shrews 
and field mice are found in their stomachs. The eggs are three to five in number, resembling 
pigeons’ eggs.” 
The Black-crowned Night Heron (. Nyctiardea grisea ncema ) inhabits the British 
provinces, breeds abundantly in New England, winters in the South and beyond. It is also 
found in the West Indies and Mexico. The Night Herons derive their name from their noc- 
turnal habits. Like other species, this bird prefers the solitary swamps for breeding and 
feeding places, where numbers of them build in proximity. At dusk, the Night Herons, called 
also Qua Birds , from their peculiar cry, make wing for the marshes, or beaches, where they 
stand motionless in watch for their game — small reptiles or fishes. These they capture by 
darting forth their sharp, long bills, which transfix the luckless toads or fishes. Wilson says : 
“At this hour, also, all the nurseries of the swamp are emptied of their inhabitants, who 
disperse about the marshes and along the ditches and river shore in quest of food. Some of 
these breeding-places have been occupied, every spring and summer, from time immemorial, 
