RALLIDZ. 441 
The nest is usually placed on wet ground and 
near the water's edge: it is formed of stalks of 
rushes and water plants. Meyer adds that it is 
capable of floating on the water. 
The beak is yellowish brown, tinged with reddish 
brown towards the base; irides dark brown; the top 
of the head is olive-brown, streaked with black; 
over the eye is a dull bluish grey streak, minutely 
speckled with white; the space from the beak to the 
eye is darkish brown; ear-coverts paler brown; 
cheeks olive-brown, speckled with white; back of the 
neck olive-brown, speckled with white and with a few 
black streaks; feathers of the back and scapulars 
very dark dusky, nearly black in the centres, with 
very broad margins of olive-brown and occasional 
streaks and spots of white; rump and tail-coverts 
the same, but the margins of the feathers on the 
rump are smaller; wing-coverts olive-brown, a shade 
browner than the back and not quite so much 
spotted with white; primary-quills dark olive-brown, 
paler on the edges; tertials dusky in centres, with 
olive-brown margins and zigzag transverse white 
marks; tail-feathers the same, except that the white 
markings are along the margins; the chin dull 
bluish grey; throat the same, speckled with white ; 
breast pale olive-brown, speckled with white; flanks 
darkish brown, streaked with white; belly dirty 
white; under tail-coverts pale buff. One of my 
specimens, a young bird, has the chin dull white; 
