MOOR-HEN. 98 
annoyed at the perversity of the bough and nest, or else at 
her own want of foresight, and pecked among the ‘debris’ 
with every symptom of rage. She soon, however, renewed 
her labours, after having selected a more favourable site, and 
this time the structure was successfully finished. Another 
nest in a pond near my father’s garden, was, after two or 
three eggs had been deposited, beautifully dined with last 
year’s oak leaves, regularly arranged with their points directed 
upwards.’ 
‘During the breeding season, says Dr. Stanley, ‘they are 
constantly adding materials to their nests, making sad havoe 
in the flower gardens; for though straw and leaves are their 
chief ingredients, they seem to have an eye for beauty, and 
the old hen has been seen surrounded with a brilliant wreath 
of scarlet anemones. As in this case, so do they usually 
build their nests on stumps of trees or convenient bushes, 
by the side of the water; and artlessly formed, as it is, of 
a few rushes, one might suppose it would be easily discoverec, 
which would be the case but for the caution adopted by 
the bird, who, before she quits her eggs, covers them carefull: 
up, for the joint purpose of concealment and warmth. 
A person fishing on the bank of the Thames, when passing 
a willow-bed, heard a slight rustling motion. Suspecting it 
to proceed from some water bird, he kneeled down and 
remained perfectiy quiet, when the noise ceased. On rising 
and looking about, he saw a Water-Hen busily employed in 
collecting dry rushes and flags, and laying them one by one 
over her eggs, deposited in one of those bare nests close 
beside her. It was not long before she had completely 
hidden them; and then looking round with a cautious glance, 
not aware that her motions were observed, softly and silently 
glided away amongst the reeds, and disappeared. On a 
nearer approach, strange to say, the nest was with difficulty 
found; and no one who had not previously ascertained its 
existence was thereabouts, could possibly have discovered it. 
We have said that they usually build either on a level 
with, or very little raised above the water, but not invariably 
so; for, although almost entirely confined to the water, as 
their abiding as well as feeding-place, they will not only 
perch on trees when roosting, but even build their nests at 
a considerable elevation above the ground. An instance of 
this occurred in Surrey, where the attention of a person who 
had janded upon an island in the middle of a large pond, 
. 
