208 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX. 



motion, it rose from the water into the air and flew. 

 While it remained in the water I was not more than 

 three yards from it, and was easily able to see that 

 it touched the bottom of the shallow. 



On another occasion I suddenly disturbed a Moor- 

 hen in a small isolated pond with plenty of cover 

 at a short distance from the brink, but none near 

 enough to reach quickly without flying. An elm 

 tree had fallen half-way across the pond, and at 

 several feet from the bank it overhung the water for 

 some distance without touching it. The Moorhen 

 first dived and re-appeared two or three times, and 

 then, as if inspired with a sudden thought, dived 

 again and came up under the fallen tree, but showing 

 only the head and keeping the rest of the body en- 

 tirely submerged. All my efforts to drive it from 

 thence were unavailing, and it then occurred to me 

 that, by crawling out along the tree, I might possibly 

 be able to seize the bird unawares. Accordingly, 

 handing my coat to a friend who stood on the bank 

 to tell me when I should be directly over the spot, I 

 crawled on hands and knees along the tree, until, at 

 my friend's signal, I knew that I was immediately 

 above the Moorhen. I then quietly put my hand 

 in the water, about two feet behind it, and groped 

 gently along until I could feel the legs. There were 

 several small branches growing laterally from the 

 tree, and many of these were under water. I soon 

 discovered that the Moorhen's feet passed round 



