BIRDS OF THE LAKES, STREAMS, AND SWAMPS 
249 
Notes. —It inhabits similar localities to those frequented by the Man¬ 
grove Bittern, and is considered by many ornithologists to be only a red- 
coloured phase of that species. It is also similar in habits and economy. 
Nest. —Not recorded. 
Eggs. —Not recorded. 
22. Black Bittern Dupetor flavicollis Latham 
Du-pe-tor —Gk, dupetor, roarer: fldv-i-coll'-is —L., flavus , yellow; L., 
collum, neck. 
Distribution. —Australia (except the southern portions) ; also occurs 
in India, China, and Malaysia to New Guinea. 
Notes. —Also called Yellow-necked Bittern and Yellow-necked Man¬ 
grove Bittern. Usually singly or in pairs, frequenting timbered margins 
of streams, mangrove flats, and tree and reed-lined lakes and swamps. 
It is more plentiful near the coast than inland; it is also more nocturnal 
in habits than the Mangrove Bittern. During the day it is mostly seen 
perched in a tree or resting among reeds, and when startled, generally 
assumes the stick-like attitude common to all Bitterns. Food: fish, frogs, 
and aquatic insects. 
Nest. —A platform composed of sticks, placed in a fork of a horizontal 
branch of a tree, and generally in a branch overhanging water. 
Eggs. —Three to five, white, with a greenish tinge inside the shell. 
Breeding-season: September to January. 
23. Brown Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus Wagler 
Bo-taiir-us —probably a combination of two Latin words for bull (bos, 
taurus = botaurus) : pol-ci-lop'-til-us —Gk, poicilos, mottled; Gk, ptilon, 
feather. 
Distribution .—Southern Australia (from Shark Bay, Western Aus¬ 
tralia, to the Clarence River, New South Wales) and Tasmania; also 
occurs in New Caledonia and New Zealand. 
Notes. —Also called Australian Bittern, Black-backed Bittern, 
Boomer, and Bull-bird. Usually singly or in pairs, frequenting margins 
of streams, lakes, and swamps. It is nocturnal in habits, and, keeping as 
it does to the depths of a dismal swamp, is seldom seen during, the day. 
The “booming” call of this Bittern, which comprises three, rarely four, 
deep booms, with a distinct interval between each, has been likened to the 
bellowing of a bull, and is also generally connected with that fabulous 
creature, the bunyip, said to dwell in the dark interiors of swamps and 
other such weird places. Food: fish, frogs, yabbies, and aquatic animals 
of all kinds. 
Nest. —A platform made with bent-over and interlaced reeds and 
rushes, and usually placed in the densest part of a swamp, about 6 inches 
above the surface of the water. 
Eggs. —Four or five, uniform pale olive-green, the surface being 
smooth and lustrous. Breeding-season: October to January or February. 
