CREX OREX. 611 
in Natal, and the author has received one specimen from the same 
colony from Mr. Windham. In the “Ibis” for 1868, p. 261, Mr. 
Gurney also mentions his having seen a Damara specimen, but the 
species is not mentioned in his edition of Andersson’s ‘‘ Birds of 
Damara Land.” The editor has never seen an example from South 
Africa, and is somewhat inclined to doubt the correctness of the 
above identifications. 
Throat whitish; sides of head, neck, breast, and belly, ashy lead- 
colour ; the feathers on the upper parts of the body reddish-brown, 
with a deep black mark in the centre of each; flanks black, trans- 
versely rayed with white bars ; under tail-coverts white; bill red, 
shaded with brown at the tip ; irides orange. Length about 12". 
Fig. Dresser, B. Europe, vii. pl. 489. 
587. Crex crex (L.). Corn-crake. 
A specimen of the Corn-crake was killed on the Cape Flats near 
Wynberg, by Mr. H. Dumbleton, in 1864, and Dr. Edwin Atherston 
informs us that it was very plentiful in the neighbourhood of Grahams- 
town, near the sea-coast, in April, 1869. Mr. Rickard procured one 
near Hast London, and saw several in the month of January. Captain 
Trevelyan writes :—‘ Rare near Kingwilliamstown; several were 
killed after the rainy weather in the beginning of 1874. It is 
possible that they may be more numerous than is generally supposed, 
as not much shooting is done as a rule at the commencement of the 
year.” Ina letter he says, “I also saw four Land-rails during the 
first months of 1875, and killed three.” Mr. T. E. Buckley shot a 
specimen in the Drakensberg, on the 19th of December. Mr. Ayres 
gives the following note on the species in Natal :—“ These birds are 
scarce on the coast, but become more plentiful inland. They are 
only found here during the summer months. Having been once 
flushed, it is a difficult matter to put them up a second time out of 
the long grass ; for, besides running with great swiftness, they have 
a curious method of evading the dogs by leaping with closed wings 
and compressed feathers over the long grass some three or four 
yards, and then, running a short distance, they leap again. The 
scent being thus broken, they generally evade the most keen-scented 
dogs; and so quickly are these strange leaps made, that it is only 
by mere chance that the birds are seen. The flesh of these birds is 
extremely delicate. Their food consists almost entirely of insects. 
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