22 



AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 



23 Australian Little Crake, P. palustris, A. =vt. Eur. 



Little Crake. Stat. r. river, reed-beds 6 



Upper rusty-brown; throat, breast gray; crown blackish; 

 flanks, lower-abdomen barred black, white; swims, 

 dives; f., sim. Water-animals. 



The Landrail or Corn-Crake, the Little Crake, Spotted Crake, 

 Moor-Hen, Purple Gallinule, and the lobed-toed 'Coot, of other 

 countries, are represented by similar birds here. 



They are largely swamp-dwellers, and conditions about swamps 

 apparently do not vary much from continent to continent. There 

 is a full supply of vegetable and animal food, and there is good 

 shelter in the thick reed-beds. The smaller members of the family 

 are seldom seen, for they skulk amongst the reeds, and seldom 

 show themselves. 



Many of these birds are long-toed, and are beautifully adapted 

 for life about the soft mud and floating vegetation of lagoons and 

 swamps. Though the feet are not webbed, several of these swamp- 

 dwellers swim well. Thus the Little Crake is an expert swimmer 

 and diver. 



There is one Australian bird not represented in other countries. 

 This is the handsome, bantam-like Black-tailed Native-Hen. At 

 long intervals the birds appear in thousands, and, being largely 

 vegetable feeders, they have sometimes done considerable damage 

 to crops. 



During one such irruption in 1846, the birds invaded the streets 



