A DISCOVERY 315 



is answered, from the neighbourhood of the nest, 

 by a similar note. Pleased, he rejoins, is again 

 responded to, the *' chook-a-chook-a " becomes 

 quicker, higher, shriller, and, all at once, both birds 

 — each at its separate place — break into that little 

 glad duet which I have mentioned so often, but 

 cannot help mentioning here again. Then, swim- 

 ming once more to the pseudo-nest, the male again 

 jumps up on to, or, rather, into it, and remains 

 sitting there, for some little time. The little 

 chick has swum beside him to it, and now makes 

 strenuous efforts to climb up after his dam, but he 

 does not quite succeed, though I think, in time, he 

 would have done, had not the latter come off, when 

 he, at once, follows him. The chicks, however, 

 had never had any difficulty in getting on to the 

 real nest. 



The discomfort of my position approaching, now, 

 to the dignity of torture, I was obliged to get out of 

 it, and, in doing so, made so much noise that the bird 

 swam off, up the stream. Upon this I came down 

 and examined the new nest, which was close to the 

 bank. It was quite different to the other, being 

 six or eight inches high, round the edge, with a 

 deep depression in the centre, and seemed made, 

 altogether, of the flags amongst which it was 

 situated, some of the growing ones being bent 

 inwards, so as to enter into its construction. But 

 this is a moorhen's nest and not a dabchick's, which 

 latter is formed of dank and rotten weeds, fished 

 up by the birds from the bottom of the water. It 

 is made flatter, moreover, and does not rise so high 

 above the surface of the stream, though in both 



