RALLID. A439 
I have never myself found them or heard of their 
being found in this county later than October. 
The Land Rail frequents corn-fields, clover-seed 
and thick grass. The nest is consequently fre- 
quently cut out at hay-making time: it is placed on 
the ground, and formed of a very few dry plants and 
grasses. Meyer says this bird occasionally has two 
broods in the year. The food consists of worms, 
slugs, snails, small lizards and insects, with portions 
of vegetable matter and a few seeds.* 
In plumage the Land Rail is rather a handsome 
bird. The beak is pale brown; the irides hazel ; 
the feathers on the top of the head are black, 
narrowly margined with pale yellowish brown; over 
the eye, extending to the side of the neck, is a 
broadish patch of bluish grey; space from the beak 
to the eye, a streak under the eye, and down the side 
of the neck yellowish brown; underneath this is a 
broadish patch of bluish grey; back, scapulars, rump, 
tail-covert and tertial feathers black in the centres, 
more or less broadly margined with pale yellowish 
brown; the wing-coverts are chesnut; primary quills 
darkish chesnut-brown; chin white; lower part of 
the neck and the breast bluish grey, mixed with pale 
yellowish brown ; flanks and under tail-coverts white, 
tinged with yellow and striped with reddish brown ; 
belly greyish white; legs, toes and claws pale 
* Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 108. 
