THE MARSH BIRDS OF SUSSEX. 6 1 



where we sat for some little time and watched the 

 moorhens come ripple along the surface of the pond, 

 and actually saw a coot catch and devour a frog. 

 The wild ducks (Anas boschas) were sporting about, 

 and we found a nest with seven eggs, which the 

 miller did not want us to take, as it was the only one 

 on the island, and he loved to see the young duck- 

 lings sport. A mute swan ( Cygnus olor) glided along 

 the canal. This, he said, he usually kept in another 



NIGHTINGALE. 



pond, as it created rather too much commotion 

 among the smaller fowls. As he spoke it uttered a 

 chucking sound, which I heard for the first time. As 

 we rode home through the green lanes the nightingales 

 (Sylvia luscinia) and the black-caps (S. atricapilla) 

 sang a charming concluding chorus to a delightful day. 



