THE MOOR-HEN. 159 



Its nest is placed on the ground, in close herbage or amongst reeds, and the number of eggs varius 

 from six to ten. As with many of the Rallidse, the clucks are nothing more than little balls of fluffy 

 black down when first hatched, but 011 the least alarm they take to the water, and conceal themselves 

 with much adroitness in the adjoining rushes or grass. 



The Corn-crake, or Land Rail (Ortygometra crex), is a summer visitor to England, and speedily 

 makes known its arrival by its call, which may be heard resounding throughout the night, and even 

 in the daytime. Its cry is very harsh, and may be imitated by rubbing a bit of wood sharply along the 

 teeth of a comb; it is littered by the male bird only, and is heard more on its first arrival, ceasing almost 

 entirely when the young are hatched, as is the case with so many other birds. As a rule, the haunts of 

 this species are confined to fields of long grass or corn, and oftentimes the nest is mowed out when the 

 hay is cut, the scythe not unfrequently decapitating the faithful mother, who sits very close, and has been 

 known even to carry away her nestlings out of reach of danger. It does not, like its cousin the Water 

 Rail, frequent marshes or wet ground, though it is often found in hay-fields close to rivers, and it can 

 swim with vigour when forced to do so, A companion was walking one evening with the writer by 

 the banks of the Thames when the cry of a Land Rail was heard at a short distance off, and after some 

 trouble was driven to take wing, when a well-directed throw of a walking-stick brought it to the 

 ground, within a few feet of the river-bank. It lay apparently dead, but on being approached it 

 suddenly sprang up, and without any hesitation plunged over a steep bank into the river, and notwith- 

 standing a broken wing, it managed to cross at a place where the river was not less than seventy 

 yards broad. The bill in the Land Rail is much stouter than in the Water Rail, not exceeding the 

 head in length, and the general colour is more of a reddish-brown. In the autumn the old birds 



O ' o 



depart with their families, migrating in silence and concealment for their winter home, which is the 

 continent of Africa, where the species passes down the Nile Valley as far as the Cape Colony. In 

 September the Land Rail is often met with in the clover and turnip-fields, and we have known as 

 many as eight to be killed in a single day when out Partridge-shooting. The flesh is very good for the 

 table. The young are covered with black down when first hatched, and moult before migrating. 



The other members of the sub-family Railing are very numerous, and are distributed over the 

 entire globe. 



THE THIRD SUB-FAMILY OF THE RALLIDJE. THE WATER-HENS (Gallinulina-). 



Ill this sub-family occur the brightest plumaged of the Rails, viz., the Blue Water-hens (Porphyrio), 

 the members of this genus being found everywhere, excepting the northern parts of the Old and New 

 Worlds. They very much resemble the English Water-hen, or Moor-hen, in their habits, but are 

 much larger and more stately-looking birds, while in flight their beautiful blue plumage shows to 

 advantage ; they also have a very large red frontal shield. 



THE COMMON WATER-HEN, OR MOOR-HEN (Gallinula chloropm). 



Passing a large pond or sheet of water in a railway-carriage, the observer may often see a small 

 black bird swimming near the edge of the reeds, or flying out of danger with a flapping of the wings 

 that leaves a long trail of disturbed water behind it to mark its flight. This will be either a Moor-hen 

 or a Coot; but even at some distance the two species can be easily recognised, the ivory white shield on 

 the forehead of the latter being always very conspicuous. The frontal shield of a Water-hen is red, 

 and from being much smaller is not so easily seen. With the exceptional case of Mr. Waterton, who 

 managed by protection to make wild birds tame, the Coot is much more shy in its nature than the 

 Moor-hen, and does not so often become fearless and confiding like the latter bird. When unmolested 

 the Moor-hen will often quit his native pond or lake and be allured to the lawn or neighbourhood of 

 the house, coming regularly for its food. The writer, indeed, remembers having visited a gardener's 

 cottage, in Leicestershire, where a pair of Moor-hens came from a neighbouring pond at the call of 

 the old woman who lived in the little house, and not only fed themselves within a few yards of the 

 sjK-c.-tators, but even brought their young brood to share the repast afforded by their kind protector. 

 Skirting the lake in a boat, one is first made aware of the , presence of a Moor-hen by the warning 

 croak which is heard from the reeds some distance ahead, for the bird is fully conscious of danger, and 

 long ere the boat approaches may be seen swimming rapidly to the shore from the middle of the lake 



