254 
NATURAL HISTORY 
The water-hen never wanders; but the coot sometime^ 
swims down the current, till it even reaches the sea. In 
this voyage these birds encounter a thousand dangers; 
as they cannot fly far, they are hunted by dogs and men; 
as they never leave the stream, they are attacked and de- 
stroyed by otters: they are preyed upon by kites and 
falcons; and they are taken in still greater numbers, in 
weirs made for catching fish. 
Water Ouzel. (PI. 43.) The water ouzel, called 
also the- water rail, is in size somewhat less than the 
blackbird. Its bill is black, and almost straight. The 
eye-lids are white. The upper parts of the head and 
neck are of a deep brown; and the rest of the upper parts, 
the belly vent, and tail, are black. The chin, the fore 
part of the neck, and breast, are white or yellowish. 
The legs are black. 
This bird frequents the banks of springs or brooks, 
which it never leaves; preferring the limpid streams 
whose fall is rapid, and whose bed is broken with stones 
and fragments of rocks. The habits of the water ouzel 
are very singular. Aquatic birds with palmated feet, 
swim or dive; those which inhabit the shores, without 
wetting their body, wade with their tall legs; but the wa- 
ter ouzel walks quite into the flood, following the decli- 
vity of the ground. It is observed to enter by degrees, 
till the water reaches its neck; and it still advances, 
holding its head not higher than usual, though com- 
pletely immersed. It continues to walk under the water; 
and even descending to the bottom, where it saunters as 
on dry land. 
These birds are found in many parts of Europe. The 
female makes her nest on the ground, in some mossy 
bank near the water, of hay and dried fibres, lining it with 
dry oak leaves, and forming to it a portico or entrance of 
moss. The eggs are five in number, white, tinged with 
a fine blush of red. It will sometimes pick up insects at 
the edge of the water. When disturbed, it usually flirts 
up its tail and makes a chirping noise. Its song in 
spring is said to be very pretty. In some places it is 
supposed to be migratory. 
