. Birds and their nests and eggs : found in and near great towns . that birds dis-criminate as well as human beings. Landingthrough a bank of sedges and high reeds wenoticed that the undergrowth on this sideclose to the waters edge was honeycombedwith runs. The cause was plain, for, some-where not far off, a short dull croak told ofthe birds that made these runs their haunt,and set us looking in the neighbourhood forwhat we had not long to seek—a moorhensnest. Built some two feet from the ground, andlike that of the sedge warbler amongst younggrowth (Plate XXIV), the instinct of thebirds in th
. Birds and their nests and eggs : found in and near great towns . that birds dis-criminate as well as human beings. Landingthrough a bank of sedges and high reeds wenoticed that the undergrowth on this sideclose to the waters edge was honeycombedwith runs. The cause was plain, for, some-where not far off, a short dull croak told ofthe birds that made these runs their haunt,and set us looking in the neighbourhood forwhat we had not long to seek—a moorhensnest. Built some two feet from the ground, andlike that of the sedge warbler amongst younggrowth (Plate XXIV), the instinct of thebirds in this case too had placed it there, sothat it would rise still higher as the reedsgrew up. We counted twelve reddish-white,brown-speckled eggs in the nest, and one hadfallen out, either ejected purposely, or knockedout as the frightened bird had hurriedly left :o6 OUR LAST HUNT OF THE SEASON her patient vigil on our approach. How onesmall bird could cover such a clutch was notquite clear. So we concluded that two birdshad laid their eggs in that same nest, which. XLVIII : A moorhens nest—with twelve REDDISH-WHITE BROWN-SPECKLED EGGS (J-size). is their custom sometimes, for reasons oftheir own.^ ^ The explanation of this proceeding does not seem FOR BIRDS NESTS: LATE JUNE 107 This nest was built of dried sedge leavesand well decayed reed blades, materials ofwhich plenty were at hand, their harshnessbeing modified by short brown bents ofreed a-twelve-month old lining the old hen bird, concealed from view, hadscurried through the stems, and now joined byher mate popped out into the water, quitesome fifty yards away, to inspect the rudeinvaders of their shores. The pair were joinedby a female wild-duck, which flew and swamaway in evident alarm, showing us clearlythat she too had got a nest or young to a search conducted with great care, wefound the cause of her solicitude. A broodof ducklings (waddhng httle mites, whichwould not or could not venture far in
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