LITTLE CRAKE. 151 



Pomerania ; and, continuing along the Baltic, in Courland 

 and in Livonia ; also, according to Sabanaeflf, in the Eiazan 

 Government in Central Russia. Elsewhere between these 

 lines it is principally known as a migrant. Its best known 

 breeding quarters appear to be to the southward, in Wiir- 

 temberg, Bavaria, Bohemia, Silesia, and in fact throughout 

 the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where the localities are suit- 

 able. On Heligoland it has once occurred on the spring 

 migration ; it is a rare visitant to Holland and Belgium ; 

 and its appearances are irregular in the north of France, 

 whilst in the south, and especially about Grenoble, and the 

 Bouches du Rhone, it breeds in some numbers. In Spain 

 it has not yet been proved to nest, but it occurs in tolerable 

 abundance in the neighbourhood of Valencia, Murcia, and 

 Malaga ; on the spring migration at the two former, and 

 on the autumn passage at the latter. An occasional 

 breeder in Savoy and Switzerland, it nests in Italy down 

 to Sicily, but in the islands and on the coasts of the 

 Mediterranean it mainly occurs on passage, and it appears 

 to winter in Greece. Seldom observed in Turkey, it breeds 

 plentifully in South Russia, and is not uncommon in the 

 Caucasus ; eastward it occurs in Armenia, Turkestan, and 

 as far as the broads or ' dhunds ' of Sind, to the west of 

 the Indus, beyond w^hich Mr. Hume thinks that its place is 

 taken by Baillon's Crake. He was assured by his boatmen 

 that the Little Crake bred in Sind, but he considers that 

 this requires confirmation.* TJie species recorded under 

 this name by Mr. Hodgson, as found in Nepaul, and by 

 Temminck, from Japan, appears to be Baillon's Crake, and 

 up to the present the most eastern authenticated locality 

 for the Little Crake is Gilgit, where Dr. Scully obtained 

 three examples on passage between 5th October and 2nd 

 November, f 



In Africa it is not as yet recorded from Morocco, but 

 Loche says that it is resident in Algeria, and recently Mr. 

 Dixon shot a specimen from a small pool at Biskra, where it 



'* Game Birds of India, ii. p. 20i». 



t Ibis, 1881, p. rm. 



