CORN-CRAKE. 535 
CREX PRATENSIS. 
CORN-CRAKE. 
(PLATE 23.) 
Rallus genistarum, 4 : — Nie 
Falls onmnemanen Briss. Orn. v. p. 159, pl. xiii. fig. 2 (1760). 
Rallus crex, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 261 (1766), 
Gallinula crex (Linn.), Tunst. Orn. Brit. p. 3 (1771). 
Crex pratensis, Bechst. Orn. Taschenb. ii. p. 336 (1803); et auctorum pluri- 
morum—(Nauwmann), Loche, Degland § Gerbe, Jerdon, Salvadori, Dresser, 
Saunders, &c. 
Ortygometra crex (Linn.), Leach, Syst. Cat. Mamm. §c. Brit. Mus. p. 34 (1816). 
Crex herbarum, ; a J 5 
Gree aleeens. Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 694 (1831), 
The Corn-Crake or Land-Rail, as it is often called, is a common ~ 
summer migrant to the British Islands, and is found in all suitable loca- 
lities, including the Outer Hebrides, the Orkney and Shetland Islands, 
St. Kilda, and the Channel Islands. A few birds occasionally remain 
during the winter in this country. 
The Corn-Crake breeds in the western Palearctic Region as far east as 
the valley of the Yenesay, and winters in the Ethiopian Region. It is a 
summer visitor to the Faroes ; but its occurrence in Iceland is doubtful. 
In Scandinavia it breeds as far north as the Arctic circle, and has been 
obtained in lat. 693°. It is a rare summer visitor to Archangel; but in 
the Ural Mountains is not known to occur north of lat. 60°. In Western 
Siberia it has only been recorded in the extreme south, where it is abun- 
dant in the Altai Mountains; but in the valley of the Yenesay it occurs as 
far north as lat. 594°. The Corn-Crake is a summer visitor to Central and 
Southern Europe, except that in the Spanish peninsula, Southern Italy, and 
Greece it is only known as passing through on migration. It is an acci- 
dental visitor to the Azores, and occasionally occurs in the Canaries and 
Madeira. It is a resident in Algeria, but passes through Egypt on spring 
and autumn migration. In Palestine and Asia Minor it is said to be a 
resident. ‘Tio the Caucasus and Russian Turkestan it is acommon summer 
visitor. It appears to be only of very accidental occurrence in North-west 
India; but is said to be common in Afghanistan, and has occurred in 
North Persia. It is very common during our winter in Natal, and has 
been obtained in the Transvaal and the Cape Colony. Although it is so 
difficult to make the Corn-Crake take wing, it is nevertheless a bird of very 
powerful flight, and has been known to stray to Greenland, the Bermudas, 
