WADING BIRDS. 201 
occupied by gardens. Here they are fond of making 
incursions, and in the summer time of feeding on the 
currants and gooseberries ; but they run to the water on 
the slightest alarm, and, if unable to conceal themselves 
amongst the weeds on the water’s edge, will sink their 
bodies until only the beak is above the surface, remain- 
ing quite still until the danger is removed, and rarely 
making any attempt to escape by diving. As my own 
garden abuts on this part of the river, I have often 
carefully watched them when they have taken to the 
water as I have described, and have twice detected them 
in this trick by the bill when the body was submerged, but 
it required a very close scrutiny. On one of these occasions 
the bill was projected in the midst of a few broad flaggy 
leaves of grass, which were bent down upon the water. 
The Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) is not uncommon, 
but only on some portions of our streams which are 
peculiarly suitable to its retiring habits ; these are chiefly 
swampy ash-holts at Perlethorpe, and a similar marshy 
spot much covered with alders at Budby; here, how- 
ever, they must be sought for. They are rarely seen 
swimming on the streams themselves, but delight in 
wading in the shallow pools and amongst the dense 
aquatic vegetation. 
Spots such as these do not tempt the ordinary excur- 
sionist, and few except the sportsman and the naturalist 
care to risk a wet foot in their investigation. The water 
rail is most plentiful in the first-named locality, which 
is especially retired, and is the same where the black- 
winged stilt was seen which I have previously mentioned. 
I have often searched for, but never succeeded in find- 
ing, its eggs. 
In March, 1849, a friend of mine picked up a water 
