THE WATER-RAIL 585 



As a rule the water-rail is more keenly alert and sensitive to the 

 slightest sound than any bird I know ; but on this occasion she more 

 than once allowed me to change my plate without disturbing herself 

 in the slightest. The nervous anxiety she did display was purely 

 maternal ; rapt in her own meditations, she seemed totally oblivious 

 of my presence, and I, being keenly interested, was unwilling to 

 disturb her ; however, seeing the keeper, James Vincent, approaching 

 at the end of the appointed two hours, I dropped the shutter, but the 

 rail did not move till Vincent was close to the nest 



I asked Vincent to examine the eggs and report progress. Two 

 of the young were out, and he removed the broken shells. Then the 

 excitement began. The female returned, stood on tiptoe, peeped 

 into the nest, and quick as thought seized one youngster by the neck 

 and carried him off. No sooner had I changed my plate than she 

 was back again, and this time seized the second unfortunate and 

 bedraggled-looking chick by the head, and whisked him away. She 

 then returned for the third, not yet out of the shell; and seizing him 

 by the shoulder, removed him shell and all ; and the fourth also in 

 like manner. There remained only one addled egg, but though the 

 removal of this formed a very difficult task, after several unsuccessful 

 efforts she succeeded in getting a firm grasp of it and disappeared. 

 All this occurred in less than ten minutes. Afterwards the bird 

 returned twice, and just peeped into the nest, and having thus 

 apparently satisfied herself as to its emptiness, we saw her no more. 

 A diligent search on our part failed to discover the whereabouts of 

 the half-fledged chicks. 



The food of the adult water-rail consists of aquatic plants, small 

 Mollusca, worms, slugs, and occasionally of fish. They are very fond 

 of the roots of watercress. In winter, when hard pressed, they will 

 frequent the dykes close to the marshmen's cottages and pick up 

 scraps of bread and refuse food, and even venture into the gardens 

 for any green stuff that may have survived the cold ; but, unlike coots 

 and moorhens, water-mils will not pick up grain. 



