LITTLE CEAKE. 897 



Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft, in the adjoining county. 

 One, if not more, of tliese local specimens, is most 

 probably in Mr. Lombe's fine collection,^ although, 

 owing to the absence of any memoranda to that effect, 

 this cannot now be ascertained with certainty. 



Mr. Hunt in his " List " of Norfolk Birds, published 

 in Stacy's history of the county, in 1829, has also the 

 following entries with reference to our smallest species 

 of rails : — 



" Rallus minuta, Little gallinule. Captain Custance, 

 of Catton, has a specimen of this recently-discovered 

 species [referring probably to Montagu] in his posses- 

 sion, shot by Mr. Girhng in the neighbourhood of 

 Scottow." 



"Ballus Foljambii, Olivaceous gaUinule. This species, 

 originally described by Montagu, has been recently 

 killed at Bradestone." 



Unfortunately the more ambitious work by the same 

 author on "British Ornithology," of which portions were 

 published in 1815 and 1822, was never completed, but 

 amongst the plates, to which the letterpress is wanting, 

 I find coloured representations of Rallus minutus and 

 Rallus foljamhii, which, in all probability, were drawn 

 from the two last-mentioned Norfolk specimens. The 

 first of these unquestionably represents an immature 

 little crake, but the latter, from the distribution of 

 the white spots over the back and wings, is far more 

 characteristic of Baillon's crake in its adult plumage. 



Again in the "Magazine of Natural History" for 



* A specimen killed on the banks of the Thames, near Chelsea, 

 in 1812, was purchased at the sale of Mr. Plasted's birds, by the 

 late Mr. Leadbeater, and was believed by Yarrell to have passed 

 subsequently into the possession of Mr. Lombe. This, I have no 

 doubt, is correct, as many of the rarest birds in Mr. Lombe's 

 collection were supplied by Leadbeater ; by whom also the entire 

 series were originally mounted and arranged. 



