278 HAMPSHIRE DAYS 



been related in our Natural Histories than of any other 

 native species. And I now saw a great deal of him, 

 and of the other two as well. From the cottage 

 windows, and from the lawn outside, one looked upon 

 the main current of the river, and there were the birds 

 always in sight ; and when not looking one could hear 

 them. Without paying particular attention to them 

 their presence in the river was a constant source of 

 interest and amusement. 



At one spot, where the stream made a slight bend, 

 the floating water- weeds brought down by the current 

 were always being caught by scattered bulrushes grow- 

 ing a few feet from the edge ; the arrested weeds formed 

 a minute group of islets, and on these convenient little 

 refuges and resting-places in the waterway, a dozen or 

 more of the birds could be seen at most times. The 

 old coots would stand on the floating weeds and preen 

 and preen their plumage by the hour. They were like 

 mermaids, for ever combing out their locks, and had 

 the clear stream for a mirror. The dull-brown, white- 

 breasted young coots, now fully grown, would mean- 

 while swim about picking up then 1 own food. The 

 moor-hens were with them, preening and feeding, and 

 one had its nest there. It was a very big conspicuous 

 nest, built up on a bunch of floating weeds, and formed, 

 when the bird was sitting on its eggs, a pretty and 

 curious object; for every day fresh bright-green sedge 

 leaves were plucked and woven round it, and on that 

 high bright-green nest, as on a throne, the bird sat, and 



