actually looked round with peculiar expression,-as if he would
intimate that no common- customer was befoire him. I got
within twenty yards, and. encouraged the old setter to gdririri
but he turned-his'grizzled and.' intelligent ^eyes- to mine, and
wagged his tail as if he would have said, 4 Lord k'you don’t
know what I have-'here.v A tuft Of earth flung by one: of the
aides-de-camp Obliged the 'Skulker to get up, and to our
general surprise, a fine^ Bittern rose. I kneeled him .oyer-;1
but though he came'" down with a "broken-wing and woundfedi
leg, he kept the; old dog at bay. until my? companion, ioundfets?
ed through the swamp and secured him. On^this* exploit I
plumed myself, for Bitterhs-are here extremely: scarce?? and
in Ballyoroy they* are seldom heard or foundifö^i
The Bittem"was forihi&ifr in Soüi'et^stimaferi- as ah article
of foodlfbr the tabled the-flesh is"said! turkesemMb" that of “the
leveret in colour and taste, with- soÄe^ppi thesvAavOia«; ok -wild
fowl. Safe Thomas Brovnc says- that young Bifternsvwoiie
considered avbetter dish thai^ay ot®g ® eren-S;:ri
Mr. Selby says the nest is . klicfes'llrehds^'&ei
and is generallyplaced omrihebground near the1-sWäteristfedg^
among the thickest herbage;- the eggs are. ,fo®&wpi «fere, in
number, * of a uniform - pale brown colour. The ■etäo ungeare
produced"® abou^^t^enty-fh^da^^lf thfey are' fed' ‘by )the
parents until fully ’fllliged,' and do* nösfriquihlhe,heshxtiilt't|:^
are nearly able to provide-for themsMvesr -Thet-eggs^are o f
uniform shape afe-bbthjends ; two inches two lines-:kMength,
by one inch six lines in breadth.
In the choice- of its food the Bittern Is hot* very, particular,
-feeding on small mamfnalia, small birds and fishes, warty
lizards and- frogs, -which are usually swallowed'whole. Sir
William Jardine has mentioned that he once-took a whole
Water Rail „out ‘of dhet-stöhaaidil of~a Bittern* In »the
stomach o f one examm^dby myself in Jamiary sI826,': I found
the bones of a pike of considerable size^and the stomach of
another examined im February 1820, contained a Water Rail
whole, and six small fishes. In the stomachs of two examined
by Mr. Blyth,! two dace, the remains of other fish, and
some large coleopterous insects were found.
The specimen from which the representation of the Bittern
here'?given was taken, was killed some -years ago in Denny
Bog, in the New Forest, and the bird was .sent me by my
friend Major Gilbert of Bartley, near Lyndhurst. Mr. Anderson
isays,-.?- thab Manton- Common and Twigmoor, near
Brigg, were favourite, localities for the Bittern in Lincolnshire*.
I t is sometimes .killed in Scotland. Mr. Thompson
says some: few breed in the most extensive; bogs in Ireland,
and arese.cca-sidnairy met with elsewhere? but becoming gradually
morb^cajrce: ?
The Bittern ;-rvisits Denmark, .and Scandinavia generally,
during .summer r and', according to Pennant, is found in Russia
and ^^Sifberia,. as far north as the river Lena. Southward
the Bittern is* found gerieraJly,over. the European continent,
inhabiting Spain, Proven^vand Italy. It is found in-Bar-
b.ary; and Dr. A. Smith- brought specimens from South
Africa. f/^Zoological Society? have received specimens
sent -"by Keith Abbott,- Esq. from Trebizond, and the Russian
naturalists?: who ■#dht- with the expedition to the Caucasian
range^ff mountains,, found the Bittern inhabiting the,
' countriK^etween the Black and-'the Caspian Seas. Pennant
says.it is- found in India and in.China." Colonel Sykes says
i®#Sr,are,in the -Dukhi^fi but that the Species ’is identical
with the European b ird ; and M. Temminck includes our
Bittern in his Catalogu^-'df the Birds of Japan.
The; beak; js. greenish- yellow, the- upper mandible varied
with dark horn honour...towards-the point-; the lore.green ; the
irid|s|yellow $/'the top of the head black,' tinged with bronze
green; the occipital,feathers varied with transverse bars of
black and pale buff; all the upper surface of the body pale