to the list. Although not web-footed, the Water-lien 

 is a rapid and graceful swimmer and an excellent diver; 

 its flesh is by no means bad, and its eggs very good ; its 

 cries, though not musical, especially when the bird is 

 engaged in a hostile encounter, are somewhat cheery, 

 and its chuckling note when conducting its brood on a 

 foraging excursion is anything but unpleasent. Besides 

 the enemies above mentioned, our poor bird is a very 

 favourite morsel for the omnivorous pike ; we took a 

 full-grown freshly caught young Water-Hen from the 

 stomach of one of these fishes of about 6 lbs. weight, 

 who, in spite of this very recent meal, came ravenously 

 at our bait — a fair-sized perch. 



