THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON 



together, the shallow hollow containing the eggs being 

 fined with drier material. Some nests are much smaller, 

 especially when made on dry land. The six to a dozen 

 eggs are pale buff, spotted and blotched with reddish 

 brown and grey. The chicks take to the water almost 

 directly they are hatched, and in the London area 

 especially too often become the prey of rats and prowling 

 cats. 



The adult Water Hen has the general colour of the 

 upper parts dark olive-brown, shading into dark grey on 

 the head and neck, and into brown on the wings ; the 

 outside web of the first primary is white ; the under parts 

 are slate-grey, shading into brown on the flanks, which are 

 striped with white, and the abdomen is mottled with 

 white ; the longest under tail-coverts are white, the 

 shorter ones black. Bill and frontal shield scarlet, the 

 bill shading into pale yellow at the tip ; tarsi and toes 

 green ; irides brown. Length 13 inches. In autumn there 

 is more white mixed amongst the plumage of the under 

 parts. The young in first plumage are browner, the 

 slate-grey on the head and neck are replaced by dark olive, 

 and the under parts are brown, the white mottling being 

 strongly pronounced. The young in down are uniform 

 rich black. 



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