102 
THE LEAST BITTEKK. 
off, and watch all your movements. If you go towards them, you may some- 
times take the female with the hand, but rarely the male, who generally flies 
off, or makes his way through the woods. Its ordinary cry, however, is a 
rough croak, resembling that of the Great Blue Heron, but much weaker. 
The flight of this bird is apparently weak by day, for then it seldom re- 
moves to a greater distance than a hundred yards at a time, and this, too, 
only when frightened in a moderate degree, for, if much alarmed, it falls 
again among the grass, in the manner of the Rail ; but, in the dusk of the 
evening and morning, I have seen it pass steadily along, at the height of 
fifty yards or more, with the neck retracted, and the legs stretched out be- 
hind, in the manner of the larger Herons. On such occasions it uttered, at 
short intervals, its peculiar cry, and continued its flight until out of sight. 
Several individuals were together, and I imagined them to be proceeding in 
search of breeding-grounds, or on a migratory expedition. When disturbed 
by day, they fly with extended neck and dangling legs, and are easily shot, 
as their course is generally direct and their flight slow. When walking, it 
shoots its head forward at every step, as if about to thrust its bill into some 
substance ; and if you attempt to lay hold of it when disabled, it is apt to 
inflict a painful -wound. 
The food of this bird consists of snails, slugs, tadpoles, or young frogs and 
water-lizards. In several instances, however, I have found small shrews and 
field-mice in their stomach. Although more nocturnal than diurnal, if moves 
a good deal about by day in search of food. About noon, being doubtless 
much fatigued, they are not unfrequently observed standing erect on one 
foot, and so soundly asleep as to be easily knocked down or even caught by 
the hand, if cautiously approached. This very remarkable habit of both our 
species of Bittern has brought upon them the charge of extreme stupidity , 
whence the name of Butor given to them by the Creoles of Louisiana. 
Whether or not this term be appropriate to the case, I leave for you to de- 
termine ; but, my opinion is, that the animal truly deserving to be called 
stupid, yet remains to be discovered, and that the quality designated by 
that epithet occurs nowhere else than among the individuals of that species 
which so thoughtlessly applies the opprobrium. 
At Cayo Island, Oppelousas, 13th April, 1837, Mr. Harris saw a flock 
of about twenty individuals of this species arriving from the westward, be- 
fore a heavy gale from that quarter, all of which plunged, as it were, into 
the marsh, and hid themselves so closely, from fatigue or otherwise, that 
neither he nor the dog could raise one of them. We have now observed 
several species of Herons arriving in the same manner from the westward, 
and it seems that their stay in their roosting places continues only for a 
night, as on going to the same spot on the next day, none have been found. 
