UNPRECEDENTED WEATHER—NOTES ON BIRDS 49 
ced. nests must have fared. Their con- 
dition, however, was much mitigated by the 
fact that there was no wind, and when the 
sun shone the air felt quite warm. Ted had 
been round some old haunts and found many 
birds building, but several nests had been 
deserted, doubtless on account of the cold. 
I got a fine photo of a moorhen’s nest in a ditch 
the other day with four eggs. (See Moorhen, 
Part I, pp. rog-11.) It was remarkably well 
placed for a photograph, and was so striking 
a picture that I reproduce it here (Plate VII). 
Each stick of the nest is plainly seen. There 
was no attempt at concealment. I came sud- 
denly on one of the birds. It dived under 
the weeds that covered almost every inch of 
the perfectly still surface of the ditch, and 
I wondered when and how far off the bird 
would come to the top. It was almost by 
chance that I caught sight of it again. It rose 
in about a quarter of a minute a few yards 
away. Watching intently I noticed the water 
slightly disturbed there. But only its beak 
and a small part of its head were visible. 
B.N.—Ill, E 
