202 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 



rail, which had killed itself by flying against the tele- 

 graph wires on the Hull and Selby Railway, on the 

 banks of the Humber. 



The Coot (Fulica atra) is a plentiful species on all 

 our sheets of water, but is especially abundant on the 

 large lake which is so great an object of beauty in 

 Thoresby Park, and which contains nearly one hundred 

 acres. It is about a mile in length, and on the southern 

 side is bounded for about two-thirds its extent by a 

 wood called the Lawn Plantation. A strip of this along 

 the bank, covered with grass and reeds, and planted 

 with shrubs, is allowed to grow undisturbed, and is a 

 favourite resort of the coot at all times of the year. 

 Here they breed without molestation, as well as on the 

 island which is just opposite, and which I have men- 

 tioned as the breeding-place of the heron. 



The nest is usually formed of a large mass of rushes 

 and flags placed on the water amongst the growing 

 reeds, but raised a sufficient height to keep the eggs 

 dry ; it is sometimes, though more rarely, placed on the 

 ground, and I once found a nest, containing nine eggs, 

 which was built on the trunk of a tree which grew on the 

 bank of the island, but which had gradually fallen over 

 until the trunk rested on the surface of the water. On 

 this trunk, between two small boughs projecting upwards, 

 a coot had piled a large quantity of flags. This was on 

 the 13th of May ; and while rowing down the side of 

 the island we found, behind a projecting point, seven 

 young ones, which could not have been hatched above 

 a couple of days ; they were accompanied by the mother, 

 but we came on them so suddenly that she, with great 

 alarm, took to instant flight, leaving her young family. 

 With these we were greatly amused ; for though they 



