Winton Maine 1876. Notes of Botaurus [illegible] as of St. Paris May 26) The winter creeks now bringing songsters through the woods and much more constantly and musically than I can heard them before. They act as if they are breeding. Most of the warblers were silent nothing but D. carolinus at coronata being heard. Nearly all new in little companies and kept low down among the bushes. Indeed I saw several D. Blackburniae this morning hopping around on the ground in the thick pasture behind the house. There is still a good deal of snow in the woods in the hollows & cedar swamps and on the hill is a drift 3 feet deep in an open field. After supper paddled out on the lake and enjoyed a fine sunset. A Bittern was uttering its uncouth notes on the floating ice near the house and another answered him from Storms landing. We paddled up very near the first though we could not see him. He regularly began with er-kump then poomp er-boomb five times in succession making 13 utterances in all. Occasionally a fourth was added as if he were past delight so filled with what he had accomplished. The first syllable has a watery swallowing sound, the second is exactly like a distant axe stroke on resonant wood while the last sounds like the echo of this stroke. The notes of S. varius are clear clear clear > a smacking cry somewhat like the news of Mims Crust (Judas Day), and James already singing this evening. The lake is higher than it was.