A summer's DAT ON THE BEOADS. 189 



phragmitisj , and the more finislied notes of tlie reed- 

 warbler (S. strepera) are heard from the dense coverts, 

 and occasionally one is seen as it flits over the stream, or 

 climbs the reeds to commence its song; when, scared 

 by our presence, it drops again to the ground. At 

 intervals, also, the black-headed bunting, leaving for 

 awhile the neighbouring marshes, utters its coarse and 

 peculiar notes from the reeds as weU ; the rich black 

 head and russet coat of the male, with its pure white 

 coUar, forming a marked contrast to the verdant back- 

 ground. 



Quietly and stealthily, with no splashing oars, let 



us now take a peep where the next reed bed ends, and a 



wider channel bounds the further side — hush! not a 



word, and stoop low as if a ^^coil" of teal were just 



" marked down" — now look ! Scattered over the open 



water, within thirty yards, five or six water-hens are 



swimming about, jerking their heads in their own 



funny way, with every motion of their paddling feet, 



and with tails well elevated above the water, showing 



the pure white of their under coverts. Still farther on a 



pair of coots, with sooty plumage and white foreheads, 



are lazily crossing to the other shore, and several, partly 



hidden by the sedges, are picking their way along the 



treacherous " hove." Ah ! even now they have either 



heard or winded us, see how the water-hens are getting 



together. There go the coots, splash, splash, scuttle, 



scuttle, into the depths of the reeds, and dip, dip, dip, 



go the feet of the others, now fairly alarmed, as they 



hurry along to the same retreat. But what is that 



smaller bird just sprung from the sedges in the general 



" stampede," which dropped again like a woodcock into 



the thickest cover? That was a water-rail, with its 



long curved bill, of which many are bred in these 



impenetrable swamps, but rarely is it possible, with 



even a well-trained dog, to obtain a shot in such places. 



