n each. Moor-hens have
been known to remove their eggs from the nest, in order to add to it,
and to replace them again. Mr. Selby relates the following interesting
account:

"During the early part of the summer of 1835 a pair of water-hens
built their nest by the margin of the ornamental pond at Bell's Hill,
a piece of water of considerable extent, and ordinarily fed by a
spring from the height above, but into which the contents of another
large pond can occasionally be admitted. This was done while the
female was sitting; and as the nest had been built when the
water-level stood low, the sudden influx of this large body of water
from the second pond caused a rise of several inches, so as to
threaten the speedy immersion and consequent destruction of the eggs.
This the birds seem to have been aware of, and immediately took
precaution against so imminent a danger; for when the gardener, upon
whose veracity I can safely rely, seeing the sudden rise of the water,
went to look after the nest, expecting to find it covered and the eggs
destroyed, or at least forsaken by the hen, he observed, while at a
distance, both birds busily engaged about the brink where the nest was
placed; and when near enough, he clearly perceived that they were
adding, with all possible dispatch, fresh materials to raise the
fabric beyond the level of the increased contents of the pond, and
that the eggs had by some means been removed from the nest by the
birds, and were then deposited upon the grass, about a foot 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 of 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 nest.
In a few days afterwards the young were hatched, and, as usual, soon
quitted the nest and took to the water with the parent. The nest was
shown to me _in situ_ very soon afterwards, and I could then plainly
discern the formation of the new with the old part of the fabric."

"What is that little bird in the water?" asked Jack. "Oh! he is
suddenly gone; do you see the curl in the water where it dived?" It
was no doubt a dabchick, then, from your description, though I was not
in time to see it before it dived; if we keep quite