805 
CHAPTER XIY. 
Water Birds. — Waders. — Pressirostral ; N arrow-beaked. — Water- 
hens ; Anecdotes of ; Nests of. — Coots ; Nests of. — Jacanas ; 
Singular Foot of. — Horned Screamers. — Rails. — Oyster 
Catchers ; Tamed. — Cultrirostra ; Cutting-billed. — Herons ; 
Toothed-claw of ; Voracity of. — Storks and Cranes ; Migra- 
tions of; Respect paid to. — Gigantic Crane; Particulars re- 
specting. — Jabiru. — Anastomus ; Open-beaked. — Tantalus. 
Table XXII. (See page 19.) 
Order 5. Waders. — Tribe 1. Pressirostres, 
(Narrow-beaked.) 
E now come to a different class of birds from those 
* » of which we have been hitherto treating, though still 
with a connecting link between them, so fine as scarcely to 
mark the point where the one begins, or the other ends ; a 
numerous and widely-extended race, living and seeking their 
food more or less amongst the waters. Some are fitted for 
swimming, — others are not : to make up for this deficiency, 
the latter are furnished with long legs for wading, or long 
bills for penetrating the mud, — usually, though not always, 
with both. 
The first of these to which we would allude is the Water- 
Hen (G-allinula cfiloropus). That pretty, smart, active 
bird, which we may almost at any time see, if we peep 
cautiously and silently through the bushes of an old marsh- 
pit in a meadow, or a pond half choked up with rushes, or 
well paved, if we may so express ourselves, with the broad 
floating leaves of the water-lily, or persicaria (Polygonum 
amjphibium). In the middle of any such little open space 
she may be usually detected swimming about with a joyous 
sort of jerking motion, but on the least rustle exciting a 
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