baillon's crake. 2^'^ 



under wing-coverts and axillaries dusky-brown, with a few 

 white spots and bars ; quills dusky below ; bill green, darker 

 at tip ; legs, feet, and claws olive ; iris crimson. Total length, 

 7 inches; culmen, o 75 ; wing, 3-5 ; tail, 175 ; tarsus, 1-05 ; 

 middle toe and claw, 1-5. 



Winter Plumage. — Appears to have a whiter throat than in 

 summer, and in all probability the entire throat gradually 

 becomes slaty-grey as the breeding season approaches ; bill 

 grass green, the culmen dusky ; tarsi and toes greenish; iris 

 reddish orange. 



Young. — Is like the adult on the upper surface, and is 

 similarly marked with black and white, but the general tone of 

 the plumage is rather more rufous ; the head is like the back ; 

 sides of the face rufous-brown, as also the eyebrow ; lores 

 whitish; throat, breast, and abdomen dull white; the fore- 

 neck and chest rufescent, barred across with dusky ; lower 

 flanks, vent, and under tail-coverts black, barred widi white ; 

 iris light ashy-brown. 



The young birds probably do not attain their full grey 

 plumage for at least a year, as a specimen (in the British 

 Museum), procured near Potchefstroom on the 24th of April, 

 is still in immature plumage, like the young bird above 

 described, and differs only in the whiter under surface, the 

 fore-neck and chest alone retaining some remains of rufous 

 shading and dusky bars. The eyebrows are whitish and more 

 distinct. If this bird was going to moult into the grey 

 plumage before its return to Europe, the change must be very 

 rapidly performed. 



Nestling. — "Shiny black, w^th a yellowish bill and legs of a 

 greenish slate-colour " ( IV. C. Tait). 



Cliaxacters. — -In the foregoing species the axillaries are 

 barred with white. In Baillon's Crake they are uniform. 

 The back is freckled and spotted with white, as arfe the wing- 

 coverts in a less degree. The ear-coverts are bluish-grey or 

 ashy. 



Range in Great Britain. — ^A visitor in spring and autumn, 

 principally to our southern counties, though it has been 

 captured in Derbyshire and Yorkshire. It has also occurred 



