252 BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES 



with dung : paths that often lead you up to a clump of 

 herbage where a nest is placed — but you may find several 

 of these runs before you find the nest with the eggs, for 

 the rail builds several nests before it lays. Should you fail 

 to find his nest in this way, choose a showery morning or 

 eventide, and go to the soft places I have told you of and 

 listen quietly, and you will soon hear the bird — if there be one, 

 and it have a nest — groan do/i ! like a cow, this voice tells you 

 that the nest is near at hand. Still listen, and you will hear 

 the loud groan change to a less nois}' twang (like that made 

 by a broken banjo string), which is a sure sign you are 

 " hot," as the children say ; for his groaning and twanging 

 is made just before treading, and only in the breeding 

 season. Should you be lucky, and find the nest, made of 

 reed-leaves or sedge, you may find any number of eggs 

 up to twelve — but eight is the usual number — and you will 

 see the nest is lightly covered in, the bird having pulled the 

 stuff over as a roof, unless she have built it under a heap of 

 washings or clumps of laid rush. And if you keep an eye 

 on the nest from day to day, and you find the water rise, 

 you will be surprised to find they have built their nests up 

 — as does a waterhen — to keep the precious eggs above 

 high-water mark. 



Both birds sit, and are never far from the nest, the cock 

 ever read}' to groan and twang — even on moonlit nights — if 

 anything disturb them. Direct]}^ the pretty young rails are 

 hatched, they leave the nest, and move about the moist 

 coppices of rush and sedge, feeding on the insects they 

 pick from the water-plants or find floating on the water 

 itself. But you will seldom see a whole clutch together; 

 they scatter on the approach of danger and hide in the soft 

 stuff". 



They bring up two broods in a season ; but, if robbed, 

 will build five or six times, the new nest being each time 

 built close to the robbed one. Nor do they delay about 

 it ; for, should you rob a rail to-day, in a fortnight you will 



