Botaurus lentiginosus. Maine (Lake Umbagog). 1876. June 3. On the floating island in front of the Stone farm, I started a female bittern from her nest. It was small, flat, and composed entirely of dead twigs placed on the dry ground among the thickest bushes. The eggs were five in number, two with embryos forming, and the remain- der fresh. The bird croaked as she rose, flew direct- ly out of sight, and did not return. 6/5 (2408)- (June 5) Landing on the floating island near the Stone place to search for nests I was parting the matted Cassandra bu- shes with my paddle when I felt a tap on its blade. Investigating further I was surprised to find a Bittern sitting on her nest within a yard of me. She was so puffed up that the nest was entirely concealed, and in- deed nothing of her shape was visible, except a mass of brown plumage with the small head and bill projecting from between her shoulders not a particle of her neck being exposed. After looking at her for sometime I again poked her with the paddle when she struck at it forcibly, at the same time erecting the feathers of the crown. I actually tried for several minutes to push her off the nest using much force and bending the slen- der paddle almost to the point of breaking it. Finally setting the blade behind her head I pushed it forward holding it on the ground so firmly that she began to gasp for breath. At length the paddle slipped off when she at once took wing in silence and flew to the opposite shore. There were only two eggs in the nest and I left them in hopes that she would lay more, but returning a few days later I found them cold and wet and the nest evidently deserted. There was not a trace of fear in her expression but instead fierce and sullen de- termination. This nest had some dry grass arranged as a lining. Like the one found June 3 it was placed on the highest and driest part of the island; but unlike it, it was so overarched by the thickly growing Cassan- dra bushes that this bird in entering and leaving it must have had to walk several steps in a crouching posi- tion beneath the interlaced twigs. 7/2 (2409). 1881. May 23. One singing in Leonard's Pond. 1882. Oct, 8-22 One shot October 14. Its stomach contained a wa- ter beetle.