214 WILD NATURE'S WAYS. 



experience entitles me to it, that almost anything 

 may be done mth even the shyest and wariest of 

 wild animals by patience and kindness. Hearing 

 of a water rail's nest, I induced a friendly marsh- 

 man to help me to remove a reed screen, that had 

 been built elsewhere by an intensely practical 

 old gunner for hiding purposes, to its precincts. 

 We fixed the structure up some six or seven 

 feet aw^ay from the bird's nest, and after trampling 

 a narrow lane in the sedge grass and rushes, so 

 that she could see it, retired. 



Big with excitement, I jnmted over to the 

 place the following morning, and creeping 

 stealthily into the tiny fold made by the four 

 walls of reed, prepared tor action, and knelt 

 down. 



In about half an hour tlie weird cry of a rail 

 close at hand broke the silence, and at the same 

 time rather startled me. It was repeated whilst 

 the bird walked slowly round my place of con- 

 cealment, and a torturing fear flashed across my 

 mind that she could see me. After a few more 

 minutes of almost breathless waiting I was 

 intensely gratified to observe a large red and 

 black bill darted with the rapidity of a bee's 

 sting between the blades of sedge grass at the 

 back of the nest, and instantly withdrawal again. 

 This strange performance was repeated scores of 

 times during the next half hour, and then sud- 



