284 BOMBAY DUCKS 



from the British Isles, and there is no bird left nearly 

 so noisy as a dozen of our commonest Indian birds — 

 birds which haunt our gardens and housetops. 



As a sound-producer the corn-crake {Crcx pratensis) 

 is worthy of all respect ; it has a faculty of " getting 

 on the nerves " in a manner that might excite jealousy 

 even in the breast of the Indian brain-fever bird. The 

 corn-crake, or land-rail, as it is often called, is a 

 summer visitor to the British Isles ; stragglers have 

 been heard of in India, but the bird does not properly 

 belong to avifauna of that country. 



Upon arrival in England it takes up lodgings in 

 a cornfield, one next to a house by preference. Every 

 evening, as the shades of darkness steal o'er the land, 

 the bird tunes up. It has but one note — a raucous, 

 rasping "crake." The bird shouts "crake" a hundred 

 times a minute without a break until sunrise. It is 

 impossible to drive the bird from the field in which it 

 has taken apartments ; at least, all the attempts I 

 have made failed miserably. Yet some of them were 

 well planned out and marked with determination. 



Upon one occasion, the whole of a large and in- 

 dignant household turned out into the fields, and, 

 having formed a line, attempted to drive the crake 

 before it. As the line approached the middle of the 

 field the bird became silent. We hoped that it was 

 running away. Presently we heard behind us, " Crake, 

 crake, crake!" Again and again, the line was formed 

 and the field beaten, but all in vain. The crake always 

 managed to get behind us. This behaviour is fully in 

 accordance with the description of the habits of the 



