MOOR-HEN. 119 



for some time, and saw the nest rapidly increase in height ; 

 but I regret to add, that he did not remain long enough, 

 fearing he might create alarm, to witness the interesting 

 act of the replacing of the eggs, which must have been 

 effected shortly afterwards ; for upon his return, in less 

 than an hour, he found the hen quietly sitting upon them 

 in the newly raised nest. In a few days afterwards the 

 young were hatched, and, as usual, soon quitted the nest 

 and took to the water with their parents. The nest was 

 shown to me in situ very soon afterwards, and I could 

 then plainly discern the formation of the new with the 

 older part of the fabric." 



The eggs are usually seven or eight in number, of a red- 

 dish white colour, thinly spotted and speckled with orange- 

 brown ; the length one inch eight lines, by one inch three 

 lines and a half in breadth. Incubation lasts three weeks, 

 and they produce two, if not three broods in a season, 

 the first of which is generally hatched by the end of May. 

 J. M. Boultbee, Esq., in a letter to the Rev. W. T. Bree, 

 says, " At the bottom of the walk between the house and 

 our garden, in winter, runs a brook, but in summer there 

 is only still water, which is inhabited by Water-hens, &c. 

 The Water-hens have become quite tame, from persons 

 constantly passing and repassing. This year, 1833, in the 

 spring, a pair of them hatched some young ones ; and, 

 as soon as they were feathered, made another nest and 

 hatched some more. The young ones of the second hatch 

 left the old birds, and have been adopted by the young 

 ones of the first hatch, who have each taken one, and seem 

 to take as much care of them as the old ones could have 

 done : they feed them, and never leave them. Only one 

 young one has remained with the old hen." The authors 

 of the Catalogue of Norfolk and Suffolk Birds say, that 



