the true bitterns. J 
stances,— drawing tltemselves out straight 
ever, feather tightly "f, S S. 
to the sky, so as to ‘ ‘ escape observation from the 
with the object of a.ttemp g necks and breasts to the 
similarity of the plumage o aquatic 
brown and >’^11°'^ P '^Lram verf often to be found, 
vegetation amongst whK 7nii<;ists of small fishes, reptiles, 
■rfe food of «r= latt e '““^1 rthat on! of these 
and insects of all sorts. A . .. ^ gj-gat extent by 
birds in his possession . came into the aviary in 
catching the mice and hzards that ^ _ ^'^le 
which it was kept m by this species is, to my 
only note that I ever he .,.„„CTh ’ a sort of deep gut- 
ear, best rendered by “ bave a note like or 
teral cough.” The tema e is . ^ resembles the 
rrlp^4 thc„ mong pn«re, nnd 
again uttered. r t ;h1p 
T T iifnvtl the nest of the Juttie 
Uest—Accovding to built amongst growing 
Bittern is usually, but not i entirely of dry flag-leaves, 
reeds, and he ‘ beads of pollard-willows, and it 
koo”™ .0 adopt the old nest of a Magpie ,n a 
nine in nntnher, whhe with a .ety faint 
tinge“of green. Axis, I'S-i'S '"ch ; diam, i o-i i. 
the true bitterns. 
genus botaurus. 
£otam Stephens, in Shaw’s Gen. Zool. xi. p. 59 ^ (>819)- 
Type, B. stellans (L.). 
The Bitterns have ten 
The latter ts moderately long, w th 
the inner toe and claw. , tarsus. The hind-claw 
long, and far exceed the length « hind-toe in length, 
is also very long, and is nearly equa immense 
The plumage is wavy 111 character, and there 
frill on the neck. 
