CONCORD. 
a£l 
10 
1 18 
Bitterns 
Gilbert kept a close watch for the Bitterns during 
the forenoon (when I was at the Farm) but nothing was seen 
of them until about 2 P. M. when both birds appeared in the 
marsh near the canal but on its eastern side. H. A. Furdie 
was now with us (having come to Ball’s Hill yesterday fore¬ 
noon). He, Gilbert and I had the Bitterns under observation 
for more than an hour, using our glasses freely, of course. 
During this time the birds rambled about over several acres 
of the lawn-like marsh, keeping for the most part, however, 
near the edge of the river, here about 150 yards in width. 
There was no tilting on this occasion nor did they 
once approach each other nearer than thirty yards while 
not infrequently they were more than 100 yards apart. As 
was the case yeaterday, they carried their bodies very low 
and at times so flattened to the ground that they resembled 
big, swift-crawling tortoises rather than birds, as they 
v/ound in and out among the tufts of grass, for on this 
occasion they pursued devious courses which usually ended 
near the starting-point. They did not seem to be looking 
for food but rather to be inspired by restlessness or 
perhaps, as I was inclined to think at the time, by a 
spirit of rivalry. For as both birds "pumped” at frequent 
intervals, I concluded that both must be males and there 
was much connected with their behavior which suggested that 
they were chiefly engaged in "showing off", apparently to 
