On comparing together a great number of European and American
specimens, I can find no specific differences. Individuals of either kind
are larger or smaller, their frontal plates differ in size and somewhat in
form, as do the bill and the claws; but if the species are really different,
Nature has made them so wonderfully like each other, that there
seems to me no possibility of distinguishing them.
My friend Dr NEILL has furnished me with the following anecdotes
illustrative of the habits of this bird. " At Canonmills Loch, near Edinburgh,
a pair (or sometimes two pairs) of water-hens breed yearly, making
their nest on the branches of some very large saughs (willow-trees,
Salix russeliand) growing in my garden, and overhanging the pond. One
season (four or five years ago) finding themselves persecuted by a tame
heron, which watched and devoured their first young brood (for we detected
him in the act), they formed their next nest more than fifteen feet
high on the trunk of the willow-tree. There the eggs were hatched in
safety, four or five young being in due time seen sailing about with the
old birds. We had only one pair on the Loch last summer. How they
descended to the water can only be conjectured: they might have crept
downwards three or four feet, but they must at all events have fallen at
once from a height of not less than twelve feet. When the pond is frozen
over and covered with skaters, the water-hens enter the garden and conceal
themselves in an overgrown rock-work, subsisting on minced flesh
mixed with bread or potatoes, purposely laid down for them, and on which
I have often watched them feasting when the snow was lying deep.'"
siderablc way above the joint; tarsus rather long, strong, compressed,
anteriorly covered with broad scutella, laterally with angular scales, posteriorly
with minute scales; hind toe comparatively small, middle toe
longest and much longer than the tarsus, fourth considerably shorter, and
but little longer than the second; toes free, slender, compressed, scutellate
above, flat beneath and margínate; claws rather long, slender, much
compressed, acute.
Plumage soft, blended, on the fore part of the head short; a tüft of
elongated incurved feathers on the sides. Wings short, broad; alula
large ; primaries curved, broad, second and third longest, first and sixth
about equal; secondaries broad and rounded. Tail short, much rounded,
of twelve rather weak rounded feathers, which but slightly exceed the
upper and lower coverts.
Frontal plate and bill deep carmine, the ends of both mandibles yellow.
Iris bright red. Feet yellowish-green, a portion of the bare part
of the tibia carmine ; claws dusky. Head and neck deep bluish-grey;
that colour continues paler over the breast, sides and abdomen, the
latter having the feathers tipped with greyish white, and the posterior
hypochondrial feathers having a longitudinal band of white towards the
end; lower eyelid white, as are the lateral lower tail-coverts, those in the
middle black. The back and wings are deep olive, the latter having a
narrow edging of white, which also runs along the outer quill. Tail
brownish-black.
Length to end of tail 14 inches, to end of claws 19 ; extent of wings
22; wing from flexure 7£; tail 3 ; bill from base of frontal plate
along the edge of lower mandible 1¿; tarsus 2£, middle toe 2 / 2 , its
claw j \ . Weight 12 oz.
The Female is similar to the male, but has the frontal plate smaller.
The Young, when fledged, have the upper part of the head of an olivaceous
brown, like the back and wings, the neck of a light dull grey, the
chin dull white, the lower parts light grey tinged with yellowish on the
breast, most of the feathers tipped with whitish, the lines on the hypochondrial
feathers of a dull cream colour and of small extent. The frontal
plate is small, and with the bill of a dingy greenish colour, as are the
feet, the claws yellowish-brown.