Botaurus lentiginosus . 
1891. Mass . 
May 17. Belmon t-T-Bolles took me to Rock Meadow to see a Bittern 
pump. Weather clear and cold with strong N.W. wind. Bird heard 
as soon as we reached the meadow at 4.30. He ceased at 7.40 
when the light was still strong In the west but objects on the 
meadow only dimply visible. The period of most frequent and en¬ 
ergetic pumping was from a little before sunset to a little af¬ 
ter, perhaps half an hour in all. During this period the inter¬ 
vals between the performances were quite regularly 37 seconds eahh- 
The average performance consisted of seven preliminary gulps or 
snaps and four pumpa, and occupied just ten seconds. Sometimes 
the bird pumped only three times, occasionally but twice and rare¬ 
ly only once, when the time occupied was of correspondingly 
shortened. On the other hand, it was sometimes lengthened by the 
bird s repeating his usual performance without making any pause. 
On one such occasion we counted four snaps, three pumps, two snaps 
and two pumps following one another consecutively. There was an¬ 
other much longer double period the details of which we did note. 
Our bird was first sighted at 5 p.m.,»and for the 
next two hours and a half was almost constantly under our glas¬ 
ses at a distance of from 75 to 100 yards. He changed his ground 
five times in all, twice by flying a considerable distance, thriee 
by sneaking off 15 or 20 yards through the grass in the following 
singular and highly characteristic manner. Ke first looked keen¬ 
ly about with upstretched neck, then drew down his head , at the 
same time crouching, and immediately disappeared. We saw noth¬ 
ing more of him(although we both watched carefully) for perhaps 
two minutes, when the long neck was slowly thrust up in the new 
place. It was very, like the adroit disappearance and reappear¬ 
ance of a Grebe, with a sea of waving grass taking the place of 
water.. It also recalls the account in old books of the manner 
in which the Snake Indians used to steal horses in broad daylight 
under the very.eyes of their guard by showing themselves among 
the long prairie grass, and, when the guard rushed towards them, 
passing him under cover of the grass and reappearing in the midst 
of the coveted horses. Judging by the time that elapsed while 
the Bittern was invi sible ? hi s progress must have been as delib¬ 
erate as it.was stealthy. The reason for this change of position 
was not.obvious. He may have seen or heard us twice, but the 
third time we v/ere both perfectly still and fairly well hidden. 
