ae 
WATER FARCY. 
begin to stock, and may thenceforth be cut freely 
and often. 
WATER DOCK. See Dock. 
WATER DROPWORT. See Dropworr (Wa- 
TER). 
WATER ELDER. See GurenpEr Ross. 
WATER FAROCY. A dropsical disease in the 
horse,—excited by catarrh, fever, or inflamma- 
tory action, and sometimes tending toward true 
farcy or glanders. Blaine calls it “that protean 
complaint beyond definition ;” and adds, “ Gib- 
son is not very wide of the mark when he de- 
scribes it as of two kinds,—one resulting from 
‘febrile attack, the other partaking of the nature 
of dropsy. A limb in these cases is often sud- 
denly seen to be gorged, and often so much so 
as to press out the diseased accumulations, which 
are seen around it like dew-drops. Mr. Percivall 
considers it as of an inflammatory character, as 
did also Professor Coleman. One singularity of 
it, which is noticed by Mr. Percivall, and must 
have been also observed by others, is, that it 
often confines its. attack to one limb only. It 
will sometimes break out in a state of grease; 
and sometimes it will extend itself to the oppo- 
site limb also. The treatment of water farcy 
| should be prompt, or true farcy may follow. 
Mr. Percivall recommends to take two gallons 
of blood from the horse, and to follow that up 
by a mercurial and aloetic purge: bleed again 
in two er three days, and continue a ball daily 
of a mild kind, composed of aloes, calomel, digi- 
talis and Venice turpentine; and follow this 
treatment with tonics, as blue vitriol, gentian, 
&e.” See the articles Fancy and Dropsy. 
WATER FURROW. See Draining and 
PLOUGHING. 
WATER GLADIOLE. See Buromus. 
WATER GERMANDER. See Grrmanper. 
WATER HEMLOCK,—botanically Phellan- 
drium. An indigenous biennial plant, of the 
umbelliferous order. It constitutes a genus of 
itself, and is specifically called the aquatic. It 
inhabits ditches, rivulets,and ponds in most parts 
of Britain ; and though somewhat scarce in most 
districts of the country, is abundant in muddy 
ditches*and pools in the vicinity of both London 
and Edinburgh. It has a height of about 3 feet, 
and carries white flowers in June and July; and 
it sufficiently resembles some of the cultivated 
umbelliferous plants to be readily mistaken for 
them by ignorant or superficial observers. It is 
a marcotic poison, of considerable violence, yet 
has been used medicinally in cases of pulmonary 
consumption and some other diseases. It takes 
its botanical name phellandrium, which signifies 
“to deceive a man,” from its liability to be mis- 
taken for some of the innoxious umbellifers. 
WATER-HEN,—scientifically Gallinula chlo- 
ropus. A large British bird belonging to the 
long-toed family of gralle. It has a near resem- 
blance to the water-rail, particularly in the bill ; 
but may be readily distinguished from it by its 
WATER.-HEN. 629 
greater size, by the shield on its forehead, and 
by its very long toes furnished with a very nar- 
row border. It has congeners in almost every 
part of the globe; and though not in the ordi- 
nary or large sense a migratory bird, it makes 
partial flittings from one district to another, and 
is found in summer on cold mountainous tracts, 
and during winter in lower and warmer situa- 
tions. It abounds in many parts of Britain; 
and frequents the weedy, willowy, and tangled 
banks of ponds and streams, perching on the 
boughs of low bushes, concealing itself during 
the day among thick and impenetrable recesses, 
and running and skulking in the evening among 
the roots of bushes and long loose herbage by 
the margin of the waters in quest of its food. 
It lives on worms, water-insects, aquatic plants, 
and seeds; and it likewise picks up corn from 
the neighbouring stubbles. It is at all times 
very good eating ; but from September till De- 
cember, its flesh is extremely delicious, The 
female forms her nest with a large quantity of 
withered reeds and rushes closely interwoven, in 
a retired spot, close by the brink of the waters, 
and frequently places it upon some low tree or 
stump by the water side. She lays seven eggs, 
each nearly two inches long, of a yellowish white 
colour, marked with irregular reddish brown 
spots; and is said never to leave the nest during 
incubation, without covering the eggs with the 
leaves of the surrounding herbage. She has two 
and sometimes three hatchings in a summer. 
The young brood remain but a short time in 
the nest, under the fostering care of the mother ; 
and as soon as they are able to crawl out, they 
take to the water and shift for themselves. In 
the spring, the water-hen has a shrill call; it 
strikes with its bill like the common hen; its 
flight is slow and awkward, with the legs hang- 
ing down, and to no great distance at a time; 
and in running, which it does pretty fast, the 
tail is so flirted up as to show the under white 
feathers. The total length of the bird is about 
14 inches; the breadth 22; the weight. from 12 
to 15 ounces. The bill is red, with a greenish 
yellow tip, and upwards of an inch long. At the 
base of the bill a singular kind of red membran- 
ous substance shields the forehead as far as the 
eyes; and this in the breeding season has the 
colour of sealing-wax, and at other times varies 
or fades into a whitish colour. The head is small 
and black, except a white spot under each eye ; 
the irides are red; the plumage of the upper 
part of the body has a sooty black colour, tinged 
with shining olive green ; the outer edge of the 
wing, the outside feathers of the tail, and the 
under tail coverts, are white ; the vent feathers 
are black, those on the belly and thighs tipped 
with dirty white ; the long loose feathers on the 
sides hanging over the upper parts of the thighs 
are black, streaked with white ; above the knee, 
at the commencement of the bare part, is a cir- 
cle of red; from the knees to the toes the col- 
