Birds. 7491 



pheasant, in a serai-doraestic state, seeming to prefer the conapanion- 

 ship of man with all its dangers. I have seen the moorhen's nest 

 high up in a Spruce fir, resting on lateral branches, sometimes close 

 to the bole, and sometimes so near the end as to swing with every 

 breeze ; then I have found it on the long horizontal boughs of wil- 

 lows that actually dipped the water and floated on the surface ; again 

 on the top of a pollard willow; again on the summit of a tussock of 

 Carex or Aira caespitosa, and very often indeed among the sedges on 

 the banks of streams and ponds. 



Materials. The nest is formed of a huge mass of flags and reeds 

 matted and woven and sodden together. 



Eggs, 8 — 10. Pale testaceous-brown, spotted with testaceous- 

 brown and umber-brown. When the bird leaves the nest she covers 

 the eggs with flags and reeds : the young, which are covered with 

 black hairy down, take to the water immediately on leaving the egg- 

 shell. 



Water Rail, Rallus aquaticus. 



Situation. Under thick cover in osier-beds, and swamps in which 

 alders grow, more especially in the South of England. 



Materials. Sedges and flags in considerable quantities. 



Eggs, 6 — 9. " Of a spotless white and very smooth, rather larger 

 than those of a blackbird ; the shape a short oval, with both ends 

 nearly alike." — Col. Montagu. " Cream-coloured white, with small 

 specks of ash-gray and reddish brown." — Mr. Yarrell. Temminck 

 says the eggs vary from 10 to 12 in number, and are yellow-white, 

 spotted with red-brown. Mr. Hewitson figures something answering 

 this description. " The eggs are well known. I have seen the nest 

 in situ at Whittlesea Mere : Hewitson's figure is quite correct : I think 

 Montagu's nest must have belonged to some other bird. I have seen 

 scores of eggs — not a pure white one among them — always creamy 

 white, with more or less small reddish dots and spots. 1 have the 

 young, which is dark bottle-green, similar to the young of the moor- 

 hen, spotted crake and Baillon's crake : I have the very young of all 

 these species now before me : not one is really black." — Mr. Bond. 



Coot, Fulica atra. 



Situation. In marshes and ponds. 



Materials. Decaying reeds, flags, sedges and rushes. " I have 

 examined many of their nests : they are large, and, at first sight, 

 apparently clumsy, but are amazingly strong and compactly put toge- 

 ther ; they are sometimes built on a tuft of rushes, but more commonly 

 among reeds : some are supported by those that lie prostrate in the 



