. Baby birds at home . uatic herbage found grow-ing round large bodies of water. It is formedat its base of all kinds of decaying water-plants, for which the bird may sometimes beseen industriously diving, and in its upperparts of dry sedges, flags, reeds, and structure is generally built up from thebottom of a shallow part of some lake ormere, but is occasionally only moored to sur-rounding reeds, from which it is liable tobecome detached during floods or strongwinds and float away. The Coot does notappear to mind this, however, for the writerhas seen one calmly sitting on her eggs
. Baby birds at home . uatic herbage found grow-ing round large bodies of water. It is formedat its base of all kinds of decaying water-plants, for which the bird may sometimes beseen industriously diving, and in its upperparts of dry sedges, flags, reeds, and structure is generally built up from thebottom of a shallow part of some lake ormere, but is occasionally only moored to sur-rounding reeds, from which it is liable tobecome detached during floods or strongwinds and float away. The Coot does notappear to mind this, however, for the writerhas seen one calmly sitting on her eggswhilst the nest was drifting hither andthither on a large reservoir. The eggs number from seven to ten, of adingy stone colour, spotted all over withbrown. They are easily distinguished fromthose of the moorhen, because of their largersize and the fact that the markings on themare smaller. The chicks are clothed in black down,some of the tips of which are hairlike andwhite. They leave the nest directly theyare NIGHTJARS. The Nightjar THE Nightjar, Goatsucker, or Fern Owl,as this bird is variously known, has itswinter quarters in Africa. It arrives inthis country during the month of May,and after the breeding season is over, retiresin September on its long southward journey. It is a lover of heather-clad commonsand woods with open glades in which plentyof bracken grows, and breeds in suitablelocalities all over the British Islands. One cannot understand why it has hadthe common name of Goatsucker be-stowed upon it, because the act implied doesnot count amongst its many curious habits. It perches differently from all otherBritish birds, for, instead of sitting across abranch, it lies right along it, and as it is verymuch the colour of the bark of a tree andnot quite as long as a missel thrush, it thusfrequently escapes notice. Being a bird ofthe twilight it does not stir by day, but is N 97 98 Baby Birds at Home very active in the evening in pursuit ofmoths, beetles, co
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirdsju, bookyear1912
