26 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



those whicli remain with us throughout the ^\dnter receiving considerable accessions 

 to their numbers in March and April ; and though a large portion of those which 

 have bred in our marshes pass southward again at the close of the breeding season, 

 migratory flights from the north are met with at intervals in autumn and winter. 

 In support of this view of the habits of a bird not easy of observation at any 

 season, I may state that between the middle of March and the first or second 

 week in April, it is customary to find several couples of Rails in the Norwich 

 market hanging for sale, with the Snipes that simultaneously make their appearance 

 in our markets. From that time until the close of the breeding season, they are 

 pretty generally dispersed over the country wherever moist localities afford sufficient 

 harbour; and though, of course, more abundant on the Broads themselves, are 

 known either b}^ their cries or the chance discovery of their eggs and young, to 

 frequent the margins of our inland meres, wet commons, and even rough sedg}'^ 

 watercourses." 



The Water- Rail is a bird of exceedingly shy and retiring habits, and is 

 therefore difficult of observation, always keeping to the dense vegetable growth of 

 the marshy districts that it frequents, being seldom seen on open sheets of water 

 or on dry localities. Though not web-footed it swims with great facility, and 

 never hesitates to take to deep water. When swimming it closel}' resembles 

 the Water-hen, its tail being raised up and its head jerking with every stroke 

 of the foot. If it is pursued when swimming it will seek safetj- by diving. 

 The flight of the bird is very heavy, with its long legs hanging down. It 

 seldom flies far when flushed, but seeks refuge amongst the aquatic herbage. 

 Nevertheless it is capable of taking long flights. The Rev. Robert Holdsworth 

 is quoted by Yarrell as describing the capture of a bird of this species on 

 the yard-arm of a Man-of-War, five hundred miles distant from land, in the 

 Atlantic. This was captured by an officer of the ship and fed on meat, in a 

 day or two becoming perfectly tame. 



Messrs. D'Urban and Mathew give some interesting particulars of its habits 

 in their " Birds of Devon." In that county it is usually called the " Skitt}- 

 Cock," and is to be met with in almost every warm ditch where there is 

 sufficient cover to hide its nest, or where the bird can skulk in the shelter 

 which such places affiard. 



" When pressed by a Spaniel, we have seen it," writes these authors, 

 "climb up and perch upon a bough, as a Moor-hen often does. We still 

 possess eggs taken out of a nest which was placed in a hedge b}^ the side 

 of a drain, near our house in North Devon. When we resided in Wales, we 

 had some Water-Rails about our grounds which were semi-domesticated, and 



