RAILS. 39 



A. uiiidisstma of ^lanritius, lias become extinct witliiu historic times. 

 Of the Green Fruit-Pigeons Sphenocercus (278 c), Osmofrcroii {211, 

 277 a), Treron (276), etc., a number arc exhibited at the top of the Case, 

 and, as i^ill be seen, the liarmonious colouring of some of the smaller 

 species is wonderfully pleasing. 



Order V. RALLIFORMES. Rail-like Birds. 



The members of this order are all adapted for a life among thick [Ousc -ii. 

 undergrowth, such as is found along the banks of rivers, swamps and 

 pools, or among long grass in drier places. The body is laterally com- 

 pressed between the closely fitting concave wings, so that the bird is 

 enabled to glide easily and stealthily through reeds and other cover. 

 The legs are moderately long and the toes often extremely so. In spite 

 of their apjjarcntly weak and unprotractcd flight, many arc migratory, 

 and some, sucli as the Corn-Crake, are capable of making very long 

 voyages. Not a few from long disuse of their wings have lost the power 

 of flight, and of these, it may be mentioned, several have become extinct 

 during historic times. Rails are mostly good swimmers. The eggs are 

 numei'ous, generally from seven to eleven in number and double-spotted. 

 Of the species exhibited in this Case only the more interesting can be 

 referred to here. 



Family I. R.\llid.i:. Rails. 



The true Rails may be distinguished Ijy the absence of a horn\ frontal [Case ii.' 

 shield or plate on the forehead and of lobate webs on the toes. They 

 are distributed all over the world, being as a rule of sombre coloration 

 and of very retiring and partially crepuscular habits. The Water-Rail 

 {Ralhis uquatkus) (298) and the Corn-Crake or Land-Rail [Crex cre.c) 

 (312) are both found in Great Britain, the former as a resident, the 

 latter as a suuimcr visitor from South Africa. The Spotted Crake 

 (316), the Little Crake (315), and Baillon's Crake (314) are also 

 included in the British list, the former as a regular summer visitor 

 and partial resident. 



A number of large handsome Rails belong to the South American 

 genus Ammides (306-308 ), three species of which are exhibited. 



The singular Wallace's Rail [Hahroptila wallacei) (305), "from the 

 forests of Ilalmahera in the ^Moluccas, and the Weka Rails or Wood- 

 hens (Ocydromiis) of New Zealand, are of special interest, having entirely 

 lost the power of flight, and are in consequence doomed ere long to 

 extinction. The common Weka Rail (0. avstroVis) (304), a rather 

 large bird about the size of a hen, is much sought after by the Maoris, 



