268 THE WATEE-HEN. 



fly to some height, and seek concealment on the tops 

 of the highest trees in its vicinity. The common galli- 

 nule, or moor-hen, is abundant among the lesser lochs 

 and tarns of Scotland. Pursuit seems to paralyse the 

 faculties of this bird; as we have known it to remain, 

 as it were, fascinated by the idea of danger, squatted 

 among the vegetation, where it will suffer itself to be 

 caught without a struggle till it is in captivity. Its 

 young are numerous, and covered with a black down. 

 Jardine thus describes the feathers of the moor- 

 hen in spring : " The base of the bill, and shield on 

 the forehead, now considerably enlarged, is a bright 

 red; and contrasts well, or enlivens the deep blackish 

 grey of the head, throat, neck, and under parts : this 

 colour shades into a deep green on the upper parts, 

 at this season glossed with deep reflections, which are 

 spread on the sides of the breasts; the quills are 

 nearly pale umber brown, the outer edge of the first, 

 with the bend of the wing, white ; the tail, rounded 

 at the tip, is black, shaded into deep oil green, and 

 shows the narrow cross dark markings incident to 

 structure, seen in various incessorial birds, and in the 

 aquatic genus Plotus. On the lower part of the belly 

 and vent the feathers are tipped with greyish white, 

 which prevails more or less on the centre of these 

 parts; and on the flanks, where the oil green predo- 

 minates, the feathers are dashed with long streaks of 

 white, but those of the vent are deep black, and run 

 in upon them in an angular point ; the naked parts 

 of the tibice are bright vermillion red, shading to yel- 



