SPOTTED CRAKE. 537 



neck with marginal roundish, the scapulars with linear, the 

 feathers of the hind part of the hack with very small oblong 

 white markings. The wings are of a lighter olive-brown, 

 their margin and the outer edge of the first quill white ; 

 some of the secondary and smaller coverts with small spots, 

 white in the middle, black at each end ; the inner secon- 

 daries and coverts obliquely barred with white, their inner 

 webs yellowish-olive and unspotted. The tail-feathers black, 

 broadly margined with olive. Over the eye is a broad 

 bluish-grey band, dotted with white. The forehead, throat, 

 and cheeks bluish-grey, the latter speckled with black. The 

 fore part and sides of the neck, with the anterior portion of 

 the breast, pale greyish-olive spotted with white ; the sides 

 of the body olivaceous, barred with white and black ; the 

 middle of the breast and the abdomen greyish-white ; the 

 lower tail-coverts buff-coloured ; the axillar feathers and 

 lower wing-coverts barred with black and white. 



Length to end of tail 9^ inches ; extent of wings 15^; 

 wing from flexure 4^- ; tail 2-fe ', bill along the ridge -fj, 

 along the edge of lower mandible -±-f ; tarsus 1^- ; hind toe 

 -fV, its claw -fj ; second toe \%, its claw -^ ; third toe 1 £, 

 its claw ^-; fourth toe 1, its claw 1 3 ? . 



Female. — The female is similar to the male. 



Habits. — The Spotted Gallinule differs materially from 

 the Crake in its habits, as it resides in marshes and by the 

 margins of pools, lakes, and rivers overgrown with rank 

 herbage, among which it searches for its food, betaking itself 

 to the water on occasion, and swimming with ease. It feeds 

 on worms, insects, and mollusca ; is seldom to be seen, as it 

 runs and skulks, like all the other species, and is with diffi- 

 culty put up. In its mode of flight it resembles the Corn 

 Crake, from which it is not easily distinguishable on wing. It 

 is not quite certain that it does not reside with us all the year 

 round, although it is generally understood to be migratory. 

 Montagu says he has met with it in Devonshire as early as 

 the 14th of March, and as late as the 23rd of October ; and 

 Mr. Jenyns states that it is certainly to be met with from 



