10 RALLID.E. 



fifteen couple of Landrails in one day, and seven couple the 

 next day. 



These birds usually leave this country early in October, 

 but one was killed near London in the month of December 

 1834; one near Yarmouth in January 1836; one is record- 

 ed to have been killed in Ireland in January 1839, and one 

 on the 29th of March, but whether this last was an early 

 spring visiter, or had remained all the winter, could only be 

 conjectured. 



The Landrail is common in valleys near rivers in Scotland, 

 and abundant in Orkney and Shetland. It also visits Den- 

 mark, Sweden, and Norway, going as far north as the Faroe 

 Islands and Iceland. It is abundant, as might be expected, 

 over the European Continent ; and Mr. Strickland saw it at 

 Smyrna in winter. Dr. Heineken includes the Landrail 

 among the birds of Madeira ; and Mr. Wilde mentions 

 liaving seen it at Algiers. 



The beak is pale brown ; the irides hazel ; over the eye 

 and ear-coverts, and on the cheeks, ash grey ; the head and 

 neck all round, the back, scapulars, and tertials, pale yellow- 

 ish brown, each feather having an elongated central streak 

 of very dark brown ; tail-coverts and tail-feathers the same ; 

 wings and wing-coverts rich reddish chestnut ; quills brown, 

 tinged with red ; breast, belly, flanks, and under tail-coverts 

 pale buff, barred transversely on the sides and flanks with 

 darker reddish brown ; legs, toes, and claws, pale yellowish 

 brown. 



The whole length rather less than ten inches. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the longest feather in the wing, 

 five inches four lines. 



Females are rather smaller than males, and, as well as 

 young birds of the year, have the ash grey on the sides of 

 the head less distinct and pure, and the chestnut colour of 

 the wing mixed with darker reddish brown. 



