﻿256 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  bird. 
  I 
  presume 
  that 
  the 
  parent 
  birds 
  must 
  do 
  this, 
  and 
  if 
  so 
  

   the 
  reason 
  is 
  not 
  apparent 
  to 
  me. 
  One 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  inclined 
  

   to 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  used 
  this 
  device 
  whereby 
  they 
  might 
  

   conceal 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent 
  their 
  conspicuous 
  eggs, 
  but 
  this 
  

   bower-like 
  contrivance 
  is 
  far 
  too 
  scanty 
  to 
  effectually 
  screen 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  from 
  the 
  keen 
  eyesight 
  of 
  marauding 
  Magpies, 
  Jackdaws, 
  

   and 
  the 
  like. 
  

  

  Two 
  other 
  nests 
  presented 
  peculiarities 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  

   sites, 
  neither 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  unique, 
  but 
  nevertheless 
  not 
  very 
  

   often 
  met 
  with. 
  The 
  first 
  one 
  was 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  a 
  thick 
  

   May-bush, 
  some 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  feet 
  up, 
  and 
  overhanging 
  the 
  water. 
  

   It 
  was 
  a 
  large 
  flattish 
  structure, 
  flimsily 
  built 
  of 
  last 
  year's 
  hay, 
  

   which 
  was 
  floated 
  away 
  in 
  the 
  terrible 
  floods 
  of 
  June, 
  1903, 
  and 
  

   may 
  now 
  be 
  seen 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  hedgerows 
  all 
  around 
  these 
  

   Thames 
  meadows. 
  As 
  I 
  approached 
  I 
  observed 
  two 
  Moorhens 
  

   slyly 
  sneaking 
  off 
  through 
  the 
  long 
  grass, 
  and 
  am 
  quite 
  convinced 
  

   that 
  this 
  nest 
  was 
  shared 
  by 
  both 
  of 
  them. 
  The 
  nest 
  contained 
  

   no 
  fewer 
  than 
  twelve 
  eggs, 
  of 
  which 
  five 
  were 
  in 
  a 
  different 
  state 
  

   of 
  incubation 
  from 
  the 
  remaining 
  seven 
  ; 
  thus 
  five 
  were 
  very 
  

   slightly 
  turned, 
  and 
  seven 
  were 
  much 
  more 
  incubated, 
  but 
  

   nevertheless 
  blew 
  quite 
  easily. 
  The 
  second 
  curious 
  nest 
  was 
  

   situated 
  on 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  a 
  willow 
  overhanging 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  

   about 
  twelve 
  feet 
  above 
  it. 
  The 
  nest 
  was 
  merely 
  a 
  few 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   dead 
  rushes, 
  on 
  which 
  as 
  yet 
  one 
  egg 
  only 
  reposed. 
  

  

  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  were 
  well 
  constructed 
  with 
  dead 
  

   rushes, 
  a 
  few 
  with 
  green 
  rushes, 
  and 
  one 
  had 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  long 
  

   twigs 
  in 
  its 
  composition. 
  

  

  I 
  examined 
  seventy-nine 
  Moorhens' 
  eggs, 
  and, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  

   could 
  judge 
  by 
  just 
  cursorily 
  looking 
  at 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  boat, 
  

   there 
  were 
  only 
  two 
  distinct 
  types. 
  In 
  all 
  the 
  disposition 
  and 
  

   colour 
  of 
  the 
  markings 
  were 
  as 
  usual, 
  being 
  somewhat 
  sparingly 
  

   spotted 
  with 
  ruddy, 
  almost 
  orange-brown, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  underlying 
  

   grey 
  spots 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  were 
  two 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  ground 
  colour- 
  

   ings, 
  one 
  type 
  being 
  a 
  cold 
  clay 
  colour, 
  the 
  other 
  a 
  warm 
  stone 
  

   colour, 
  with 
  a 
  suggestion 
  of 
  ruddy 
  suffusion 
  in 
  it. 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  the 
  various 
  complements 
  of 
  eggs, 
  the 
  nest 
  already 
  

   mentioned 
  holding 
  twelve 
  was 
  easily 
  the 
  largest 
  clutch. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   remainder, 
  one 
  contained 
  nine 
  eggs, 
  two 
  contained 
  eight 
  each, 
  

   and 
  several 
  six 
  each. 
  Many 
  held 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  five 
  each, 
  in 
  which 
  

   cases 
  laying 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  finished. 
  

  

  