/m 
7 
^7 
f AA ^ / 
a-^t.c- 
< 2 *-^ "^^C«- ^-^--O*— C ^ty X) —‘-^ 
/"7777 [j7~-^'&-^> 
/So-oc^C y 7~t^-'\_, 
/ , ( 
/lyLA-^t Jt^t-^-, frj' cs/ c^Ax^z 
‘j^'i/C /•'^L*. 6<A^c-^^y 
/Ti^j j ~77 , v~i/x~-^ Ti-'f 77 7 z7 7^^. 7 
At-<-v) a^i^_7a77<sv (7^7777/7y, /tTTTL 
7t7 
On^z^iAo-^r^ i 
The American Bittern in Oswego 
Co., N. Y. 
BY C. C. MAXFIELD, WILLARD, N. Y. 
The Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus '), is as far 
as my observations go, not a very abundant in¬ 
habitant of Oswego county, although found 
under favorable conditions in most of the 
swamps of the county, but rather hard to find. 
Several have been taken in a swamp three or 
four miles directly north of Phcenix. This 
place is not more than half a swamp, but is 
composed of extremely swampy woods, and 
also many acres of meadow that is annually 
overrun with water, some of which remains 
the whole year. There is a small creek run¬ 
ning through it. 
1 secured a fine specimen, a male, in the 
spring of 1885, in a very small swale, which is 
completely dried up in the summer months, 
and of not more than two or three acres in ex- 
9 T) pun sgga jo qas araospuuq A.iaA v. Sui.mo 
-as -fq predaa qa A i sum j ‘uojq.iaxa qua.ig .mqju 
‘.laAaMojj -spuauj pajaqquaq ajqqjj Am qqiM 
ssaujsnq gutqausuujq joj qja[ suuarn ajqqip peq j 
(spooAv aqq guiuuuMs jua^f aqq jo atuiq stqq pi) 
‘saoqmbsom aqq qqiM guqqquq spuuq fm puu aajq 
aqi pnno.iu pauiMqua sgaq Am qqi A \ -nngaq 
qsnf ijuo pnq jj.iom Am mus j paqovai sum qraq 
aqq uaqA\ put? qmj [0 oq aajq qinorgip A.ioa u sum 
II ‘aidura Xqjoj t? jo qmjj qs.ip aqq no ‘puno.ig 
aqq mo.ij qaaj tfqaoj amos qsau t? pajaAoosip uoos 
put? Aiasoqo aiom pammuxa j ‘ssejqsip qua.reddt? 
sq; joj paqsixa asnt?o amos gutqmqq put? lt 'ygi„ 
«‘Wi! a‘Wn lunuiquoo t? dn qdaq qj -saioads 
siqq sum qi Mauq j ‘qqgis qs.ip qy -aa.iq qiqq t? jo 
saqouujq aqq guomu paqa.iad p.nq a[qqi[ t? mus j 
‘asqa guiqqAur? uuqq Aqisoi.mo mo.tj a.iom dn gm 
Kail’s nest was found, containing ten eggs, all 
slightly incubated; no fresh ones. 
The Bittern usually rests in some marsh, ad¬ 
jacent to a stream of water or swamp. Nest 
composed of dry and green grass in about equal 
proportions. Nest is raised above the surface 
of the ground from six to eight inches and 
completely covered over with dead, dry grass, 
only leaving an opening in one side for the en¬ 
trance of the bird. 
The nests found in this vicinity, for the find¬ 
ing of which we are indebted to Benj. F. Hess, 
have only contained two and three eggs, all of 
which wrnre fresh, showing a possibility of the 
sets not being full ones. 
The eggs are of a light creamy, brown color, 
and vary somewhat, but the average with us is 
2.10x1.63. „ „ _ 
O.&O. XII,Nov. 1887 P.18$. 
