THE WATER-HEN. 
123 
and habits, that they merit notice: the following 
anecdote, proves that they are gifted with a sense 
of observation approaching to something very like 
reasoning faculties. At a gentlemans house, in 
Staffordshire, the Pheasants are fed out of one of 
those boxes described in page 98, the lid of which 
rises with the pressure of the Pheasant standing on 
the rail in front of the box. A Water-Hen, observing 
this, went and stood upon the rail as soon as the 
Pheasant had quitted it ; hut the weight of the bird 
being insufficient to raise the lid of the box, so as to 
enable it to get at the corn, the Water- Hen kept 
jumping on the rail, to give additional impetus to 
its weight; this partially succeeded, hut not to the 
satisfaction of the sagacious bird. Accordingly, it 
went off, and soon returning with another bird of 
its own species,* the united weight of the two had 
the desired effect, and the successful pair enjoyed 
the benefit of their ingenuity. We can vouch for 
the truth of this singular instance of penetration, on 
the authority of the owner of the place where it 
occurred, and who witnessed the fact. 
Nearly allied to the Water-Hen, is the well- 
known family of Coots; — they, too, build a simple 
rushy nest, hut with this difference, — that instead of 
seeking to raise it above the water, they seem to 
prefer its floating upon the very surface; where, s of 
course, it is exposed to the double danger of being 
carried hither and thither, according as the wind 
blows ; or, if interwoven with reeds or bushes close 
to the water, of being covered, should the waters 
be raised by floods. But the Coot is apparently 
well aware of these possibilities, and accordingly 
