BRITISH BIRDS. I3I 
they are able to crawl out, they take to the water, 
and fliift for themfelves. 
Although the Water Hen is" no where very nu- 
merous, yet one fpecies or other of them is met 
with in almofl every country in the known world. 
It is not yet afcertained whether they ever migrate 
from this to other countries, but it is well known 
: that they make partial flittings from one diilrid to 
another, and are found in the cold mountainous 
trails in fummer, and in lower and warmer fitua- 
tions in winter. 
On examination of feveral fpecimens of this bird, 
in full feather, they were found, like mofl birds of 
plain plumage, very little different from each other. 
