THE COMMON WATERHEN. 329 



but the young birds, nevertheless, issued from all the eggs a 

 fortnight afterwards. Mr. B. Davis, jun., has seen the nest of 

 this species placed on the water, after the manner of the coots ; — 

 supported by rushes far out from the shore. 



The waterhen breeds twice, perhaps thrice in the season : — 

 notes are before me of seven eggs being in a nest in the middle 

 of April ; nine on the 9th of June ; and a young bird not more 

 than a day old appearing on the 18th of August, — all, it was 

 believed, the produce of one pair at the Wolfhill pond. Mr. 

 Poole mentions, from his own observation, an instance of a water- 

 hen laying her eggs in the deserted nest of a magpie, situated in 

 a tree about twenty-five feet above the ground in the immediate 

 vicinity of a river. 



This species dives well, and feeds when so doing, as has 

 been proved by Mr. Selby, who has " several times known it to 

 be taken by a line baited with an earthworm for catching eels and 

 trout," p. 189. The stomachs of four examined by me in winter 

 and spring contained in addition to sand or gravel, vegetable food 

 only, as grasses, rushes, seeds, &c. 



The waterhen has a singular habit of remaining with the body 

 under water, and the bill and forehead only exposed to view, 

 at which time the bird will not stir, though closely pressed. It 

 has also a habit which I do not remember to have seen noticed by 

 authors ; that of flying very much by night, particularly by moon- 

 light. Its note, uttered while on wing, I have heard at a 

 considerable distance from any water as the bird passed over- 

 head, thus denoting that at such times it goes far from its daily 

 haunts. 



The waterhens about the river Lagan near Belfast are often 

 very attractive to the pedestrian on its banks. When walking there 

 opposite Belvoir Park, about four o' clock on the 27th of December, 

 1839, it was highly interesting to observe numbers of them which 

 had crossed the river to feed about the canal track -line, return to 

 their places of concealment on the opposite side. This was owing 

 to the \vater being quite still and in deep shadow (the after- 

 noon was frosty and very light for the season), while each bird 



