CORN CRAKE. 267 



shire : one at Christchurch in 1884, one near Farnham, 

 1882, one at Bedhampton, 1887, and two at Hayling, 

 1887. "Some of these may have escaped from the 

 Isle of Wight, where they are kept in captivity." 



BLACK STORK. 



CICONIA NIGRA. 



Genus Ciconia. 



A much less frequent visitor than the last-mentioned 

 species. 



CORN CRAKE. 



CREX PRATENSIS. 



Family Rallid^. Genus Crex. 



Land Rail — Daker Hen — Meadow Crake. 



The Corn Crake is a summer visitor to all parts of 

 the United Kingdom, arriving about the end of April 

 or beginning of May, and leaving in the end of August 

 and beginning of September. 



It migrates at night, and once arrived here is more 

 frequently heard than seen, for it betakes itself to the 

 meadows and clover fields and seldom leaves the long 

 grass. It is made to fly with the greatest difficulty, 

 and were it not for its peculiar harsh cry of " crake, 

 crake; crake, crake," we should scarcely know that 

 we had the bird amongst us. Yarrell says this note 

 or call may be exactly imitated by passing the edge 

 of the thumb nail, or a piece of wood, briskly along 

 the line of the points of a small comb ; in fact, so 

 well does this imitate it, that the bird itself may be 

 decoyed by it. Meyer relates that he has enticed 



