199 



OEDER FULICARI^. 



FAMILY RALLID.E.— GENUS EALLUS. 



WATER-RAIL. 



Rallus aquaticus, Liniiffius. 



Local Name — ScarrcKjrise (i.e., scared-in-tlie-grass, — a 

 shy, timorous thing). 



A resident species, much rarer than formerly, but 

 probably now and at all times commoner than supposed, 

 from the extremely retiring nature of its habits. It is 

 very generally distributed, and has been suspected, on 

 good grounds, of breeding in several places, but no 

 positive evidence is in existence that I can find, though 

 birds have many times been observed in spring and 

 summer. In some parts of the low districts on each 

 side of the Ribble estuary it is common in autumn and 

 winter, and elsewhere more or less so, according as 

 slui'ces, and other slow-flowing streams in marshy 

 ground, al)0und or not. The late Mr. H. Durnford 

 wrote (ZooL, 1874) that the stomachs of two he examined 

 on the 12th of January contained " a little fibrous 

 vegetable matter, remains of small mollusks, and legs of 

 a water-beetle, with a few pieces of gravel and chalk." 

 In the collection of Mr. \V. Fitzherbert Brockholes of 

 Claughton Hall, is a curiousl}^ pied variety, killed at the 

 Maynes, near Poulton-le-Fylde, about forty years ago. 



