The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-04-07
sOMELONDON RJRDs.

A still more prolific and pushing bird
is the moorhen, the Londoner's first ia
vorite. He can find his own food, but
| is just as ready as the sparrow and
! Wood-pigeon to take bread from you.
He makes his nest on the ground, or on
the water among the weeds, or on a low
branch, or up in bush or tree, and is
well able to defend it against all enc
mics. His courage in dashing at and
attacking rat however big, is delight
full to Witness Before the first brood
are more than half grown a fresh nest
is built and more eggs laid; then the
young birds begin to help their parents
in keeping the nest in repair, incubat-
ing, and finally tending the new lot of
young birds when they are out A soon
as the little island or pool inhabited by
the birds begins to get too crowded the
full grown young are driven out to.
look for some pool or island still unoc-
cpuied, where they can start life on
their own account. At Clissold Park, in
the summer of 1897, a single pair Of
moorhens successfully reared no fewer
than twenty-one young birds. 1t was
thought an astonishing thing in 1897
when one pair of blackbirds on the is
land at st. James Park reared seven
teen young in a season, in four broods
three Of five birds each and the last of
two. But this was nearly half CEN
fury before the advent Of the moorhen,
and the Clissold Park pair now hold
the record.
1t can hardly be doubted that most Of
the young birds, perhaps as many as so
no orr op 1lu Jrixr TO
for places outside of London, strongly
attached as they are to the parks,
where they are sheltered and protected
and life is made easy for them. In au-
tumn morhens are often excessively
abaundant in any sheltered water on
the borders of the metropolis; the ma
jority of these are probably London
birds on their travel in search of VIM
ter quarters. On October "a I was as
tonished at the number I saw at at
Wanstead Old Park. Walking round
the lake, | saw at one end of Lincoln
Island gathering of eighty-two birds.
them; never before had I seen as many
AS they were at rest l was well able,
by the aid of a binocular, to count
as half that number in one lot. I may
add that rarely have I witnessed more
beautiful scene in wild bird life than
this gathering of moorhens presented
1t was a bright genial day. A group
of large horse-chestnuts grow on the
marshy end of the island at that spot,
and extend their long branches over
the stagnant water, just then covered
with vivid green duckweed. The trees
were in their yellow foliage, and the
1pOx Oh tI,a or,,
edge, formed a rough carpet, yellow,
bright russet, and copper red. On the
bed of leaves, and on the water at the
side, the birds were collected, standing
In variety of pretty attitudes, some
idly doing in the bright sunshine,
others preening their feathers, or bath
ing, or sitting on the water pecking at
the floating duckweed. Here was an
exquisite bit Of of unspoiled nature,
picture that would live in memory;
wood and water, the surface of the lake
more vividly green than any turf, with
here and there clear patches where the
5unlit water looked dark as black
grass; above, and seen through the will
lerness of trees, the blue bright sky
blue behind the yellow autumnal foil
ige and on the leaf-streWn margin, and
IN the water, the company of birds in
'epose. But the principal element in the
beauty of the scene, that which gave
t its novelty and rare charm, was the
fleet of the contrast in the colors of
bird and foliage--the dark olive brown
md slate black of the moorhens and
he intense yellows and copper reds of
he big horse chestnut leaves. [
The eighty-two birds which I had
zen together were not all, probably not
ne-half nor even one-third, of the en-
ire number in the park, On resuming
ny walk round the lake | continued to
ee moorhens, on or by the water, in
'arties of three or four to dozen; and
n going with the keeper in his canoe
o the reeds this part Of the lake was
ound to be full of them-Lonemans
1agazine.