MOOR-HEN. 93 



annoyed at the perversity of the bough and nest, or else at 

 her own want of foresight, and pecked among the 'debris' 

 with every symptom of rage. She soon, however, renewed 

 her labours, after having selected a more favourable site, and 

 this time the structure was successfully finished. Another 

 nest in a pond near my father's garden, was, after two or 

 three eggs had been deposited, beautifully lined with last 

 year's oak leaves, regularly arranged with their points directed 

 upwards.' 



'During the breeding season,' says Dr. Stanley, 'they are 

 constantly adding materials to their nests, making sad havoc 

 in the flower gardens; for though straw and leaves are their 

 chief ingredients, they seem to have an eye for beauty, and 

 the old hen has been seen surrounded with a brilliant wreath 

 of scarlet anemones. As in this case, so do they usually 

 build their nests on stumps of trees or convenient bushes, 

 by the side of the water; and artlessly formed, as it is, of 

 a few rushes, one might suppose it would be easily discovered, 

 which would be the case but for the caution adopted by 

 the bird, who, before she quits her eggs, covers them carefully 

 up, for the joint purpose of concealment and warmth. 



A person fishing on the bank of the Thames, when passing 

 a willow-bed, heard a slight rustling motion. Suspecting it 

 to proceed from some water bird, he kneeled down and 

 remained perfectly quiet, when the noise ceased. On rising 

 and looking about, he saw a Water-Hen busily employed in 

 collecting dry rushes and flags, and laying them one by one 

 over her eggs, deposited in one .of those bare nests close 

 beside her. It was not long before she had completely 

 hidden them ; and then looking round with a cautious glance, 

 not aware that her motions were observed, softly and silently 

 glided away amongst the reeds, and disappeared. On a 

 nearer approach, strange to say, the nest was with difficulty 

 found; and no one who had not previously ascertained its 

 existence was thereabouts, could possibly have discovered it. 



We have said that they usuall}' build either on a level 

 with, or very little raised above the water, but not invariablv 

 so; for, although almost entirely confined to the water, as 

 their abiding as well as feeding-place, they will not only 

 perch on trees when roosting, but even build their nests at 

 a considerable elevation above the ground. An instance of 

 this occurred in Surrey, where the attention of a person who 

 had landed upon an island in the middle of a large pond, 



