the whole length of the tarsi, with the neck bent, the head

is that of sitting upon
almost perpendicularly upwards. ; ; : |
«how the Little Bittern puts in practice one of its habits,

rpendicular branch of a tree with as mnch ease as if
feet in a line makes the circumstance unavoidable of

position, when at resf, ao
thrown back, and the bill pointing

“It is a matter of surprise,” says Meyer,
ig or running up and down a pe
1 The necessity of placing its
ation of its feet is apparently adapted only for the purpose of
arched and sharply-pointed claws materially aid the

namely that of climbir
it walked on the ground.
crossing its legs at every step, while a form -
‘ ‘ iability » toes and the
en Teas habit is fully confirmed by the following note, with which Mr. CG.
Cobham. Dec. 15, 1862. I have two Little Bitterns alive.
They live entirely on the boughs of a rose-tree that

wading.
bird in retaining its hold.”
Buxton has favoured me:—‘‘ Fox Warren,
Their ways and attitudes are the strangest I ever saw. 3
They never wade, but evidently only nae the idea of hanging-on

I shall be happy to lend them to you if you care to watch them ;
Nobody cau help laughing who sees them

creeps up the wall of the house.
and striking at their prey as it passes.
they would live in a basket, and only require a little raw oe | a :
for the first time, with their beaks pointed to heaven, their eyes peering ont at right angles, and their legs
straddled out.” A 3 : ee

“The Little Bittern,” continues Meyer, ‘is very artful in keeping itself out of sight, ao also in deceiving
the greater number of its enemies, when in an unsheltered spot, by placing itself in a stiff EE position
when it perceives the approach of danger, in which it remains so immovable, aud for so long oe that,
when it is obliged at last to take wing, it flies up with such unexpected noIse that the Pe is generally
too much taken by surprise to avail himself of the opportunity of firing until the bind nee enete! too great
a distance to be shot; and when concealed among reeds, rushes, or herbage, it is with the greatest
difficulty that it is made to start; and to effect this purpose frequently requires much caution and
perseverance. The best time to get a sight of the bird is towards the evening, owing to its habit of coming
forth at that time ; but, to reach unperceived a hiding-place for the purpose of lying in wait, the greatest
caution is required when approaching places supposed to be frequented by it.

«The flight of the Little Bittern is different from that of others of its family, being performed with
stronger and quicker motions of the wings. It does not fly high in the air during the day, but only high
enough, in general, to clear the vegetation among which it resides. In the act of taking flight, it flutters
quickly with its wings; but when alighting, it throws itself, as it were, to the earth, only breaking its fall
when close to the ground by expanding the wings.”

The food of the Little Bittern naturally consists of the objects which are so abundant in the swampy places
it frequents—namely, small fishes, young frogs, newts, aquatic insects, worms, and mollusca of various kinds.
It breeds among the rushes, the nest being placed on hummocks in the marshes, a little above the usual rise,
of the water, and in some instances on the overhanging boughs of a tree; it is said that a few have also been
found in bushes about three feet from the ground; it is a large and shapeless structure, composed of
broken reeds, grass, and other similar materials. The eggs are five or six in number, white, tinged with
very pale blue, an inch and five twelfths in length by an inch and a twelfth in breadth. Their incubation
occupies sixteen or seventeen days.

The male is stated by Vieillot to emit, when alarmed, a loud barking ery, much resembling the barking of
a dog when heard at a distance; and in a communication sent to the ‘ Zoologist ’ in 1849 by the Rev. H. T.
Frere it is thus described :—* On two or three successive nights, when sailing on the broad, we heard a
noise in the marsh at the side resembling the bark of a dog, or more nearly the grunt a paviour gives when
dropping his rammer. Though all the party were tolerably well acquainted with the notes of the marsh-
birds, this was a novelty to us. A marshman, however, recognized it as the note of the Little Bittern, one
of which he had shot some thirty years before.”

a ath reference to the somewhat puzzling plumage of this species,” says Mr. Stevenson, ‘ Messrs. Gurney
and Fisher remark, ‘from an inspection of the specimens obtained from time to time in the Norfolk

district, we incline to the opinion that, if the females of this species ultimately arrive at a plumage similar

t th; ; NCES Saag = Spee i
o that of the adult males, as is asserted by modern naturalists, it is only at a much more advanced period

than that at whic 54 Pe : : ;
the : vhich the same plumage is assumed by the latter; and it appears quite certain that the female
in the supposed immature plumage pairs with the

i adult male,’ ”
The figures in tl

1e ac . ‘ Pa PN ace : . . . .
ae eee aes Plate, which are of the natural size, will show the ordinary difference
in the colouring of the sexe Tr

8 e sexes. Owing to the length and looseness of the plumage, one would have sup-

posed that the male at least would weigh nearl d ‘ 5;
g é oubl hic :
ounces). 5 y e the weight which Mr. Rodd has stated (three