THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON 
together, the shallow hollow containing the eggs being 
lined with drier material. Some nests are much smaller, 
especially when made on dry land. » The six to a dozen 
eggs are pale buff, spotted and blotched with reddish 
brown and grey. ‘The chicks take to the water almost 
directly they are hatched, and in the London area 
especially too often become the prey of rats and prowling © 
cats. 
The adult Water Hen has the general colour of the 
upper parts dark olive-brown, shading into dark grey on 
the head and neck, and into brown on the wings; the 
outside web of the first primary is white ; the under parts 
are slate-grey, shading into brown on the flanks, which are 
striped with white, and the abdomen is mottled with 
white; the longest under tail-coverts are white, the 
shorter ones black. Bill and frontal shield scarlet, the 
bill shading into pale yellow at the tip; tarsi and toes 
green; irides brown. Length 13 inches. In autumn there 
is more white mixed amongst the plumage of the under 
parts. ‘The young in first plumage are browner, the 
slate-grey on the head and neck are replaced by dark olive, 
and the under parts are brown, the white mottling being 
strongly pronounced. ‘The young in down are uniform 
rich black. 
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