III. THE DABCHICKS. I I 7 



" It is very cunning, and especially noticeable 

 for tiie subtlety with which it wearies the dog 

 of the sportsman by executing a thousand evo- 

 lutions with surprising celerity ; whence comes 

 the trivial name of 'kill-dog' bestowed upon 

 it in some localities. Pursued to extremity, it 

 casts itself into the water, swims with ease, 

 and dives at the moment its enemy is about to 

 seize it ; or it conceals itself in a tuft of reeds 

 or a bush, and by this means often escapes 

 with impunit3^ It loves to breed among the 

 reeds, and in long and thick grass, frequently 

 in small companies of its own species, or of 

 the Stellaris. The female lays her eggs on an 

 inartificially constructed platform of decayed 

 leaves or stalks of marsh plants, slightly 

 elevated above the water." How elevated, I 

 cannot find proper account, — that is to say, 

 whether it is hung to the stems of growing 

 reeds, or built on hillocks of soil, but the bird 

 is always liable to have its nest overflowed by 

 floods. The full-grown bird is dressed in an 

 exquisite perfection of barred bodice, spotted 

 chemisette, and waved feathers edged with 

 grey on the back. 



99. The reader will please recollect these 



