164 Pictures of Bird Life 



reeds, but no trace of tlic ])irds could })e seen, nor any 

 nests but A\^ater-hens" nests found. 



The A\ ater-hen — a name wliicli always seems to be so 

 much more appropriate than ^Nloor-hen — is a uni\ersally 

 common subur])an species. It is even found abundantly in 

 a perfectly wild state in most of the I^ondon parks. In 

 such localities, like the AX^ood-pigeon, it lays aside its usual 

 timidity, and feeds boldly with the other wildfowl when fed 

 bv visitors, and by its presence adds very nuich to the interest 

 of the many lakes — like the one in St. James's Park, the 

 Serpentine, and others. 



Though such an acpiatic species, its feet are not webbed, 

 and it always appears to swim, not exactly with difficulty, 

 but with more or less exertion. The long toes seem to be 

 better adapted for rimning o^er the broad siu'face of floating 

 lily-leaves than for swinmiing. ^Nluch of its time is spent 

 on land, exploring ditches and threading the long herbage 

 which grows in rank abundance in damp and marshy 

 situations. 



In its habits there is a curious minghng of boldness and 

 extreme timidity. It will build its nest perfectly openly in 

 a roadside pond, and yet its presence is often unsuspected 

 by the great majority of the passers-by. At the approach 

 of a footstep it slips noiselessly from the nest, barely making 

 a ripple, and either hides under the bank or among the 

 reeds or rushes. Failing any hiding-place of this kind, it 

 will dive and hold on to the weeds at the bottom, only 

 putting up the tip of its beak to breathe till the danger is 



