THE CRANE KIND. 



573 



she hatches her eggs in that wet condition. 

 The water-hen never wanders; but the 

 coot sometimes swims down the current, till 

 it even reaches the sea. In this voyage these 

 birds encounter a thousand dangers: as they 

 cannot fly far, they are hunted by dogs and 

 men ; as they never leave the stream, they 

 are attacked and destroyed by otters; they 

 are preyed upon by kites and falcons ; and 

 they are taken in still greater numbers in 

 weirs made for catching fish ; for these birds 

 are led into the nets, while pursuing small fish 

 and insects, which are their principal food. 

 Thus animated nature affords a picture of 

 universal invasion ! Man destroys the otter, 

 the otter destroys the coot, the coot feeds 

 upon fish, and fish are universally the tyrants 

 of each other! 



To these birds, with long legs and finny 

 toes, I will add one species more, with short 

 legs and finny toes ; I mean the Grebe. The 

 entire resemblance of this bird's appetites 

 and manners to those of the web-footed class, 

 might justly induce me to rank it among them; 

 but as it resembles those above described, in 

 the peculiar form of its toes, and bears some 

 similitude in its manners also, I will for once 

 sacrifice method to brevity. The grebe is 

 much larger than either of the former, and its 

 plumage white and black ; it differs also en- 

 tirely in the shortness of its legs, which are 

 made for swimming, and not walking : in fact, 

 they arc from the knee upward hid in the belly 

 of the bird, and have consequently very little 

 motion. By this mark, and by the scolloped 



fringe of the toes, may this bird be easily dis- 

 tinguished from all others. 



As they are thus, from the shortness of their 

 wings, ill formed for flying, and from the un- 

 common shortness of their legs utterly unfit- 

 ted for walking, they seldom leave the water, 

 and chiefly frequent those broad shallow pools 

 where their faculty of swimming can be turn- 

 ed to the greatest advantage, in fishing and 

 seeking their prey. 



They are chiefly, in this country, seen to 

 frequent the meres of Shropshire and Che- 

 shire ; where they breed among reeds and 

 flags, in a floating nest, kept steady by the 

 weeds of the margin. The female is said to 

 be a careful nurse of her young, being ob- 

 served to feed them most assiduously with 

 small eels ; and when the little brood is tired, 

 the mother will carry them either on her 

 back or under her wings. This bird preys 

 upon fish, and is almost perpetually diving. 

 It does not show much more than the head 

 above water; and is very difficult to be shot, 

 as it darts down on the appearance of the 

 least danger. It is never seen on land ; and, 

 though disturbed ever so often, will not leave 

 that lake, where alone, by diving and swim- 

 ming, it can find food and security. It is 

 chiefly sought for the skin of its breast, the 

 plumage of which is of a most beautiful sil- 

 very white, and as glossy as satin. This part 

 is made into tippets; but the skins are out of 

 season about February, losing their bright co- 

 lour; and in breeding-time their breasts are 

 entirely bare. 



