GRALLATORES. ' 337 



those of the birds inhabiting the mainland and resorting 

 more cxchisively to the soft sedgy banks of rivers remain 

 intact. 



It is very closely allied to the Water-Rail (Ballus aquaticus) 

 of Europe, and its habits, manners, and mode of life closely 

 resemble those of that bird. In this species, then, we find 

 another representative of Em-opean forms ; for it as clearly 

 resembles our Water Rail as the sombre Gallinule does the 

 Gallinula cMoropus, and the little Crake the Porzana maruetta ; 

 how similar, too, is the Pectoral Rail {Hi/pot(Bnidia pedoralis) 

 to the well-known Corn Crake of the British Islands ! 



The stomach is rather muscular, and the food consists of 

 aquatic insects and small mollusks, to which are doubtless 

 added the leaves of aquatic plants and probably newts, frogs, 

 and small fish. 



A nest I found in a lagoon near the river Derwent, in 

 Tasmania, was formed of flags and other aquatic vegetables, 

 placed in a low tuft of rushes, and contained two eggs, one 

 inch and a quarter in length by seven-eighths of an inch in 

 breadth, and of a pale olive-colour, blotched all over, but 

 particularly at the larger end, with reddish and dark brown. 



The male has "the head and sides of the neck rufous, striated 

 with black on the crown and down the nape ; all the upper 

 surface and tail black, striped with olive ; wings, flanks, and 

 abdomen banded broadly with black and narrowly with white ; 

 chin white ; centre of the throat, breast, and abdomen slate- 

 grey ; vent buff' ; bill brownish red ; irides hazel ; feet flesh- 

 colour, becoming darker about the toes. 



The female is similar, but not so bright in colour. 



The young birds, when fully fledged, are destitute of the 

 red hue on the neck, have only a trace of the barring on the 

 flanks and abdomen, and the barring of the wings much less 

 distinct than in the male. The chicks are clothed in a soft 

 and silky black down. 



VOL. II. z 



