moorhen. 
gallinula ciiloropus. 
Islands. To describe the rarious liaunts to which the AI °i distributed over the British 
“ir:. Ki^^r ::t c: 
approach of ‘■■»ffle,tnVftdinv“ -dside pond on the 
perfeetty harnrless, though the gaine-preserver in charge of iurPh“:iu‘r“ 
chance visitor that may approach his coops. ^ i'licasants n ill do well to keep an eye on any 
breeding almost in colonies, ^ o^ ^thiX'^lr^X^^ moorland lochs, 
cover and waving bogs afford the neeessary seeuritv for bri o-- *1 favourable situations where dense 
surrounding the broads and meres of tlie eastern counties ^ '''''' ®^fensive reed-beds 
the swamps to which they resort, as the only chance of safetv many parts 
native fenman. Towards the end of April 1873 the wotp ' ir • i ^ impassable to any one except a 
ro. rapidi,, owing to the high tides onlL h^^n rol!:! ““ 
being sufficient to float a light punt throuo-h the" bushes* n l . iicsteily winds. The overflow 
immense losses suffered by Coots, Moorhens and Rails w^ ' dangerous parts of the rondes, the 
complement of eggs being seen from three or four to half ^7 ®«oi’es of nests wuth the full 
Throughout the neighbourhood of the broads and in ll 
birds construct their coarse and rougiily huiit nests among the fia^s reeds 1 
strands of rushes and otiier water-pl.ants. When resortiiio- to small . “'"P'“y“S "“My 
tliey avail themselves of the slielter afforded by the sti.bbs” and twinin^UtT oTlrwin '™1f 
overhanging the water. Though statempnf« i i i • "" “ ^ ^ willow, alder, or hazel 
been observed in trees at an elevation of tiventy feet iTave ne™T°“h “T'”* ‘i 
ground than between three and four feet. On one oecasin T T** greater height from the 
that had been chosen at about this height amon» the t ’ t "^l r picturesque site for a cradle 
down by the winter gales across the bed o i t i “ --‘'--'^oaten alder, thrown 
gradually rotting stump exhibited no signs of MLr triuxurianff "‘“l 
sprouting from the peat-mould on the surrounding slal^i i:! a^lS'lclrr 
• A r««l.l»d i, ,al„j., w„,o,l , l„„l, " by tho aativ... of lh..„ 
