WATER RAIL. 



FVLICARIM. 



159 



RALLIBJF.. 



Rallus aquaticus, Linnaeus.* 



THE WATER RAIL. 



Rallus aquaticus. 



Rallus, Brissonf. — Beak longer than the head, slender, slightly deciirved, 

 compressed at the base, cylindrical at the ijoint ; upper mandible grooved at the 

 sides. Nostrils lateral, pierced longitudinally in the lateral groove, partly 

 covered by a membrane. Legs long and strong, with a small naked space above 

 the joint ; three toes before, and one behind ; the anterior toes divided to their 

 origin, the hind toe articulated upon the tarsus. Wings moderate, rounded ; 

 the first quill-feather much shorter than the second, the third and fourth quill- 

 feathers the longest in the wing. 



The Water Rail, though well known as a species, appears 

 to be less abundant than it really is : the habits of the bird, 

 and the nature of the localities it frequents, increasing the 

 difficulty of observation. It is found in the marshy districts 

 of this country, and delights to dwell among the rank vege- 

 tation of fens, shallow pools, and watercourses, from which 

 it can scarcely be driven to take wing. If obliged to fly, to 

 save itself from being caught by an eager dog in close 



Syst. Nat. i. p. 262 (1766). 



t Ornithologie, v. p. 151 (1760). 



