Botan y us l entlKiriosus 
1899 
A ;r il 
Concord, Mass. 
1898. The Bittern alights much after the manner of a Snipe 
June 25. dropping suddenly at the last with a few quick flaps of its 
wings. When flushed it utters a croaking ok-ok-ok-ok-ok. 
Was it a Bittern? 
Early this morning two Herons, flying together, appeared 
25. over Ball's Hill. They were almost as high up as Geese fly. 
After circling over the Great Meadow they turned back and on 
reaching Davis's Hill turned again and went off over the land 
the ‘■'estward. One of them twice uttered a deep, raucous 
onto uni ike anything that I remember to have heard before. 
~:io ’ distinctly larger than the other. They carried their 
legs stretched out behind and their necks well shortened. 
Through the glass I could see that they were striped on the 
under parts and that their bills were long and slender. They 
certainly were not Night Herons and I am nearly sure they 
could not have been Great Blue Herons. They looked like Bit¬ 
terns but I.have never seen the Bittern fly at such a height 
nor heard it utter such a cry. 
Seen pumping. 
A Bittern was pumping in the Holden meadow just before 
May 12. sunset. I had a fine view of him and watched him for a long 
time. He crouched and shortened his neck just oefore he be¬ 
gan snapping his bill. During the snapping his throat was 
>.U 
