262 
ORDERS OP BIRDS— HERONS, STORKS, AND IBISES 
tude for nearly an hour at a time. Even in 
the whirling gayety of a big Flying Cage, it 
takes life 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. 
Because 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 quite 
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- 
proval; for to at least one tympanum there is 
a wide difference between a real “boom” 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 pointing its 
New York Zoological Park. 
GREAT WHITE EGRET. 
of the Order of Herons with pure white plumage, 
the great white heron being 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 beyond 
the tail and wing tips. For these beautiful 
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 blotted out within a short 
period. 
The American Bittern’ is a fairly large 
bird, of a yellowish-brown color, elaborately 
mottled and streaked with various 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 egg-shaped bird, 
with a beak at the small end, pointing heaven- 
ward, and short, thick legs below. I have seen 
a Bittern stand motionless in that idiotic atti- 
1 Bo-tau'rus len-tig-i-no'sus. Length, 26 inches. 
\ 
AMERICAN BITTERN. 
beak toward the zenith. It feeds chiefly upon 
frogs, small snakes, lizards, and crawfish. 
