flï its nest on the branch of a tree which rested upon the
b r ^ T f * n Pe8tal ™fer-teanch of a fir-tree which oAvDerOhntWn* baa ilr‘i ver, a few» ft«h,.et
»hove the water, and was< seen to fly down with, two of
er yonnjt brood, ono in ieaoh foot, from the nest. " The
editor of th e‘ N atqraiisf mentions an instance where R e
nest of a Moor-hen floated on the water., withont having
any attachment whatever with the islet, whiöhi. it adjoined-
; but was enclosed, on aU sides by sticks, &c. Thus situated
2 Tl hatoM theil “ ferfect » a« y .:
mmi^gMhth hwavfeb be ehn6 otherw-irsieT." Tt°h“e 1n' eusntu h8aasa la lso been f«ouhnedS in.
trees at an elevation of twenty feet or more from the ground
An interesting account of,Moor-hens moving their eggs to
make an addition to their nest, is thus related by:Selby
in the printed ‘Proceedings of the Berwickshire-Naturalists'
• ' 7 „ ? nrmg the ? W N ^ the summer of 1885
a.pair, of Water-hens built their-nest by-thi margin of thé
ornamental pond .at Bell’s Hill, a piece èf rwateT of. oonb
«1e u U\ v*’ “ d È Ê É È a È bX 8 spring from-the
height above, bnt into which the cententa of another large
pond can occasionally be admitted. This was done Wlffle I
the female was s i t t i n g a n d as ::thn host has. been built
t e e b t dW“ f 1 l8Tel.Bt00d low’ ^ 8ndd™ influx H K
from 4116 second pond caused a rise
of several inches so as. to threaten the speedy-jhimersion
sseeeemm Ttoo hTa ve bb een aw0atir°e° ofo; f' an«d- i^mmed iaTtheilsy StookH preI cautions
against so imminent-a. danger; fo r^ tam ’^ L
gaidenar, upon whose veracity X can safely- rêljfïeeing
the sudden nse of thé water, went'to look" after-tte i e s f
“ 8 ®ndl,r<?0T,!red “ d the eggsilestfeyed, hr fat
both MrT b“ f ^ °bSerTed’ S i 44 8 dStance,
H M H H H H I 8bon4 ‘te brink where the nest
tthhaatt ttbh«eyv w: e“ren da’dZd mmg, WwithÊ aSll& pomssihbele I dIisSpatch, fresh
materials to rais^the fabric beyond the levpPof the increased
contents of the pond, and that the, eggs" had, by"
B&me means, been removed from the nest by the birds,
and were then deposited upon thé grass, about a foot1 or
more from the margin of the water. He watched them
for some time, and saw the nest rapidly increase in height;
but I regret to add, that he did not remain long enough,
fearing he might create alarm, to* witness the interesting
act of the replacing M the eggs, which must have been
effected shortly afterwards; for upon his return, in less
than an hour, he found the hen -quietly Sitting upon them
in the newly-raised nést» In a few days afterwards the
young were hatched, and, as usual,' soon quitted the.nest
and took to the water with their parents. The nest was
shown to me in situ very''soon afterwards, and I could then
plainly discern the-formation of the hew w ith -th e older
part of the fabric.” p j ' ' !
The feggs are usually seven or eight in number, of a
reddish-white dolour, thinly spotted and speckled, with
orange-brown,., measuring 1*65 by 1‘2 in. Incubation lasts
three weeks, and two,, if*hot-three broods are produced in
a season, therfost of which is generally .hatched by th e end
of May. Lórd Lilford s a y s 'th a t- h e sha'S several times
observed" young-birds- of- the first brood assisting their
parents in building a second-nest; and Mr. J. M. Boultbee
mentions an instance in which the chicks 'of the sécond
hatch left the bid- birds,, and were adopted by the young
ones of the'first hatch, who each took care of, and fed one
of the chicks, leaving- only .one young one with, the old hen.
I n ’winter,-during hard frost,-when ponds are frozen
over, Moor-hens:resort - to ^running streams, and harbour in
plantations, hedgerows, and -thick - bushes ; roosting‘ in
firs-,,-thorn-trees, and others, th a t are covered with ivy,
feeding probably on ^he--berries.-, jj On the disappearance of
the-ice, they return ÉÉ the ponds. When the bird rs . in
good?condition,rühe:.-flesh is .considered by some people to
be well-flavoured, ..but it® th e majority >lfc;ris distasteful.
The A Moor-hen. isrivery pugnacious,-‘both - as. regards vats
ownspecies, and also- With respect to other water-fowl,
which i t will attack and drive Hfrom their food; it will