GRALLATORES. 385 



places covered with dense herbage being the locahties favour- 

 able to its mode of life. It has the same indisposition for 

 exposing itself to view, the same manner of eluding pursuit by 

 running through the grasses, and when forced to quit its 

 retreat flies low, straight, and with the same flapping motion 

 of the wing. 



The eggs, which are placed on the ground, are four or six 

 in number, of a cream-colour, with numerous large irregular 

 blotches of dark chestnut-red at the larger end, and a few 

 smaller ones distributed over the remainder of their surface ; 

 they are one inch and three-eighths long by one inch broad. 

 It breeds in September, October, and November. 



The stomach is very muscular, and is usually found to 

 contain portions of grasses, seeds, and a quantity of sand. 

 Its flesh forms an excellent article for the table, and the bird 

 itself affords considerable amusement to the sportsman, as 

 pointers will stand to it as to the Land-Rail of Europe. 



The sexes are so similar in colour and markings that they 

 are not easily distinguishable from each other, and the young 

 at an early age assume the plumage of the adult. 



Crown of the head and all the upper surface olive ; each 

 feather of the back and scapularies blackish brown in the 

 centre ; the feathers at the back of the neck with a double 

 spot of black and white near the edge of each web ; a broad 

 stripe of chestnut-red commences at the base of the bill, 

 passes through the eye, and unites at the occiput; wing- 

 coverts olive, spotted on the margins with black and white ; 

 primaries dark brown, the two outer ones crossed by narrow 

 bars of white, and the remainder with broad bars of dull 

 chestnut-red ; stripe over the eye and the chin greyish white, 

 deepening into dark grey on the lower part of the throat ; 

 under surface brownish black, crossed by numerous narrow 

 well-defined bars of greyish white ; across the breast a broad 

 band of deep sandy buff"; thigh and vent buff"; under tail- 

 coverts black, barred with white and tipped with buff"; bill 



