oe 
_ 
WATERHEN. 561 
the beginning of April, and Stevenson records them as late as the 29th of 
August ; it is also said that in some cases the young birds, when able to 
_ fly, assist in rearing the later broods, and even help the old birds to make 
new nests! The Waterhen generally covers her eggs, when she leaves the 
nest, with pieces of surrounding vegetation. Several instances are on 
record where this bird has been known to add materials to its nest to make 
it higher from the surface of the water ; and in one case at least it would 
appear that the old birds removed their eggs while this was being done 
and then replaced them (Selby, Proc. Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club). 
Mr. Maurice C. H. Bird writes to inform me that he knew of an egg of this 
bird which was found in an unfinished Blackbird’s nest. When suddenly 
alarmed, the sitting bird generally flies from its nest; but if possible it 
always prefers to slip quietly off into the water or reeds, in order not 
to betray the whereabouts of its treasure. When the nest is built in an 
elevated situation, the young birds are conveyed to the ground in the 
long claws of their parents. Both birds assist in incubating the eggs. 
The young birds take to the water shortly after they are hatched, and may 
sometimes be seen running over the masses of fallen reeds or over the 
large leaves of the water-lily. If running water be near, the old birds 
often take their broods to it; and when alarmed the little creatures will 
scurry off and take refuge in the nearest holes, or amongst the vegetation, 
where they lie motionless until the danger is passed. 
In winter, when the still waters are frozen over, these birds often 
repair to the running streams, and will take up their quarters in woods, 
plantations, and shrubberies. At this season they will even enter stack- 
yards; but, unlike the Coots, they seldom or never retire to the coast. In 
hard weather they often congregate into small flocks; but this is probably 
because their feeding-grounds are much more restricted, and not from any 
gregarious impulse. If the weather still keeps severe the Waterhens have 
a bad time of it, and numbers are often picked up in an emaciated starved 
condition. The flesh of this bird, especially of the young, is, when properly 
dressed, said to be of good flavour. 
The general colour of the adult Waterhen in spring plumage is dark 
olive-brown, shading into dark slate-grey on the head and neck, and into 
brown on the quills and primary-coverts; the outside web of the first 
primary is margined with white ; the whole of the underparts are slate-grey, 
shading into brown on the flanks, which are broadly striped with white, 
the feathers of the belly having obscure white tips, which become more 
prominent on the vent; the short under tail-coverts are black, and the 
long ones are white. The frontal plate and bill are scarlet, shading into 
yellow at the tip of the latter; legs and feet green ; irides hazel. The 
female scarcely differs from the male in colour. After the autumn moult 
the white tips to the feathers of the belly and vent are more conspicuous, 
; 9 
VOL. Il. =o 
