3 
Botaurus lentiginesus. 
1891. Mass . 
May 17 . Belmont T - 
The pumping was performed as follows. The 
bird suddenly crouched until the long axis of the body became 
nearly horizontal, the back remaining strongly arched. At the 
same time the neck wad shortened and thrown forward. The head 
was now only slightly above the line of the back, the bill al¬ 
most horizontal. The contraction of the neck caused the breast 
to assume a swelled and rounded outline in front, while below 
the longloose feathers which are attached to this part, hung 
down nearly to the ground, forming a sort of feather dew-lap sim¬ 
ilar to that shown by nearly all Herons when they assume a crouch¬ 
ing posture. 
This appearance may have deceived Mr. Torrey into thinking that 
the bird which he watched at Waylan d inflated its breast. If 
there was any such inflation with our bird, it was accomplished 
before he opened his bill for the first time, and was not in the 
least reduced after the pumping was finished until the neck was 
again stretched up,when it at once disappeared. 
A "second or two ( never immediately) after assuming 
the position just described the Bittern would raise its head 
slightly, at the same time opening its bill rather wide, then, 
with a forward and downward jerk, would close the mandibles sharp¬ 
ly, repeating this from five to seven times in quick succession. 
The closing of the bill was invariably accompanied by very dis¬ 
tinct swelling or gulping motions of the throat and by a noise 
which at times sounded not unlike the sna^ of a strong spring 
lock, at others seemed more watery in tone, like the plump of a 
small stone dropped into a well. The first snap was not as loud 
as the rest and the * l ^J t / h-. o*^^ X, 
{J-iA- i\J (--A <a.v // ^3o\. ^ytyytyy^^ , //iy^^ 
-fcz y 
/ / / / . .. . /x^yf r .T /7„ . /Z/i y / • 
\yyj~ny 
y 
yAf yCr^-iy-0. yiy <*-'£&, ~WZ\, ’ 
>"£c 'Xy- / y-cA- - 
cX^xL .X. f.'L 4 trAy ^ 
IsCj j'xxMsyi-'C yy' — <Zy.y^ y -7 Cyy~^ dy <?y^(J^{jy (xf^yxxS^ 
aA <y-^y fy c yj~ yy^A^y uiuy ‘ t *y A y wtZy 
/ 7 C-<y ,y AAyy . ^ y _ ^ y, //A- A-t 
' \l rJ CxT 6 */x /f. '/(L. Zo J L&Ly_if>^yL f , <^A*. ^ 3 JU.4yrx*y<J 
1% 
y '/o, u<^u. -sx*. 
