WATER RAIL. 27 1 



find their nest, and any instances should be made a 

 note of. The nest is built in a clump of reeds near 

 the surface of the water, and is made of leaves of 

 the reeds and sedges. 



The eggs, eight to twelve, are buff or greenish white 

 in ground colour, boldly blotched and spotted with 

 dark and reddish brown, and underlying markings of 

 pale violet. They may be found at the end of May 

 or beginning of June. The markings on these eggs 

 are much bolder and larger than those on any other 

 of our Crakes'. 



WATER RAIL. 



RALLUS AQUATICUS. 



Family Rallid^. Genus Rallus. 



Bilcock — Skiddycock — Brook Runner — Velvet Runner. 



The Water Rail, though a commoner bird than the 

 last species, is not very abundant anywhere. It is a 

 resident bird, though a large number migrate every 

 year as well. It is commonest perhaps in the fen 

 districts, but is found in all parts where there are large 

 marshes. It is so extremely shy and retiring that it 

 appears to be more rare than it really is. Its retreat 

 is among the reeds and sedges, or tangled dank grass 

 through which it threads its way more like a rat than 

 a bird. It feeds upon worms, young frogs, and such 

 insects as are found about the marshes. As previ- 

 ously mentioned, its habits resemble those of the 

 Spotted Crake very closely, and its flight is that of 

 a bird anxious to alight at the first opportunity. It is 

 about the same size as the Land Rail, but differs in 

 its plumage. On the back it is a golden yellow, the 



