MOOR-HEN, WATER-HEN. 419 



from a nest built on the projecting branches. The fol- 

 lowing anecdote also proves that even adult birds, if 

 wounded or otherwise unable to escape, fall victims to the 

 heron's carnivorous appetite. Mr. T. H. Edwards, when 

 shooting by the river at Keswick, near Norwich, on the 

 7th of December, 1869, mortally wounded a water-hen, 

 which fell close to a heron that was standing by a drain 

 in an adjoining meadow. The heron instantly rushed 

 at the water-hen, and first striking it with its beak, 

 seized and carried it off to another field, where it was 

 seen to place its feet on the bird and endeavour to tear 

 it to pieces with its bill. In order to scare it from its 

 prey, Mr. Edwards approached as near as he could and 

 fired off his gun, when the heron again seized the car- 

 case, and this time flew off with it to a considerable 

 distance, so that further observation was impossible. 

 In the act of flying with the water-hen in its bil), 

 the heron had a most unnatural appearance, the neck 

 seemed too weak to support such a weight, and was 

 consequently directed forwards, and downwards, instead 

 of being thrown back as usual between the shoulders. 

 The weather up to that time had been mild and open, 

 so that extreme hunger could scarcely account for this 

 unusual proceeding. 



Unlike the coots and grebes, water-hens on the broads 

 are but rarely seen upon the open waters, preferring the 

 close vicinity of the shore, or the narrow channels 

 between the reed-beds, with safe harbour on either side. 

 If surprised on the sedgy ronds bordering the reed- 

 stems a scuttling movement of both wings and feet 

 brings them at once into covert, whilst those still 

 further from the shore rise on the wing, and flapping 

 hurriedly over the water leave a trail on the surface 

 with their dipping feet. There are times, however, 

 when the water-hen, mounting well up, takes a pro- 

 longed flight to some other portion of the river or 

 3 H 2 



