BITTERN, Botaurua (Brisson), n genus of Birds belonging to the family of Herons, or Ards's/fr. The following are the characters which principally distinguish the Bitterns from the rest of the family :—Bill strong, about as long as the head, compressed, and higher than it is broad ; mandibles equal in length, the upper being rather the deepest, and slightly curved from the base to the point ; edges of both mandibles somewhat Moused, very sharp, and finely serrated toward the point. Legs, as compared with those of others of the family, rather short. Neck also comparatively short, covered on its sides and front with long loose feathers which can be erected at pleasure, and on the back (of the neck) with down, the long loose feathers of the side meeting behind, and covering the downy part in certain attitudes, as, for example, when the bird passes through the reeds and rushes.
The Bitterns comprehended under the Prince of Cnnino's subgenus Botaurus are widely diffused, but being solitary birds, haunting wooded swamps or reedy marshes, where they generally lie hid all day, and coming forth to feed at night, they are seldom seen. There are several species of this subgenus, and of these the Night Heron or Qua Bird (A rdea Nyeticoras, 'Animus, Nyctiesorax Europaita, Stephens) is found both in the 01(1 and New World. [Nrcricortax.] As an example of the subgenus, the Common Bittern or Bittour (Beta urus Stellaria, Steph., Arden ,Stellaris, Linn., Uceello Lepre and Trombutto of the Italians, Rohrtrommel of the Germans, and Butor of the French) may be taken. The provincial English names of Mire Drum, Bull of the Bog, &c., will occur to many of out renders as being indicative, in common with sonic of the foreign ones, of the bellowing or drumming noise for which the bird is so famous. This deep note of the ' hollow-sounding bittern' is exerted on the ground at the breeding season, about February or March. As the day declines he leaves his haunt, and rising spirally soars to a great height in the twilight Willughby says that it performs this last-mentioned feat in the autumn, "making a singular kind of noise nothing like to lowing." Bewick says dint it soars as above described when it changes its haunts. Ordinarily it flies heavily, like the heron, tittering from time to time a resounding cry, not bellowing ; and then Willtighby, who well describes the bellowing noise of the breeding-aeason, supposes it to be the night-raven, at whose deadly voice' the super stitious wayfarer of the night turned pale and trembled. " This,
without doubt," writes Willughby, "is that bird our common people call the night-raven, and have such a dread of, imagining its cry portends no less than their death or the death of sonic of their near relations; for it flies in the night, answers their description of being like a flagging collar, and bath such a kind of hasping c7 as they talk of." Others, with much reason, consider tho Qua-Bird above mentioned (which utters a loud and most disagreeable noise while on the wing, conveying the idea of the agonies of a person attempting to vomit), to be the true night-raven.
The food of the Bittern consists for the most part, as might be suspected from its haunts, of aquatic animals. Pennant says that frogs are its principal food, adding, "not that it rejects fish, for small trouts have been taken out of its stomach." The rude nest of the Bittern is generally formed of reeds, sticks, Se., on some tump,' to use Montagu's expression, in a reedy marsh or well-clothed rushy moor, and contains four or five pale green eggs. The time of incubation is about twenty-six days.
In the palmy days of falconry the Bittern afforded the best of sport. We find it mentioned in the 'flights to the field, called great flights.' "There is yet," says Tubervile, "another kinde of flight to the fielde, which is called the great flight, as to the cranes, wild geese, bustard, birde of Paradise, bitters, shovelars, hearons, and many other such like." Accordingly we find it protected by the severe penalties of the stat. 25 Hen. VIII. c. 11, confirmed by stat. 3 and 4 Edw. VI. c. 7. One year's imprisonment, and a forfeiture of eightpence for each egg, was the punishment awarded to those who destroyed or took away the eggs of the thittour: When the hawk had 'bound with' the bittern and brought it down, it was the duty of the falconer to make in apace to rescue her, by plunging the bill of the bittern into the ground, to prevent injury to the hawk ; for when wounded the bittern is not daunted, but lies watching his opportunity to dart his spear-like bill at his enemy as soon as he comes within his reach, and as he generally aims at the eye, he should be approached with the greatest caution. The modern sportsman should beat for these birds with pointers or very close-hunting spaniels ; for they are moved with as much difficulty as a jack-snipe, and, like that bird, will often lie till they are almost trodden on, rather than take wing.