236 A HANDBOOK OF EUROPEAN BIRDS. 
LITTLH*CRAKE. 
Porzana parva (Sco/.). 
Adul Male: Above olivaceous-brown, paler on the wing- 
coverts ; feathers of centre of back obscurely marked with black 
and with a few while spots ; wings clove-brown ; flank-feathers 
grey ; under tail-coverts black, or dark brown, barred with 
white : forehead, cheeks, sides of neck, and rest of under parts 
slate-grey ; bill green, tinged with red at base; legs and feet 
green ; irides red. Length about 8 inches; culmen 0°7 ; wing 
45. tall 2°95" tarsus’ 1. 
Acult Female: “Differs from the male in having the 
slate-grey confined to the forehead and eye-stripe ; the general 
colour of the under parts being buff, shading into nearly white on 
the chin and throat, and into brown on the flanks, which are 
transversely barred with white” (Seebohm). 
Young in first plumage: Superciliary region and under 
parts pale buffish-white, more barred or spotted with brown 
than the adult female. May be distinguished from the young 
of P. vailloni by the absence of white on the first primary. 
Distribution: Breeds in Central Europe, Italy and the 
Caspian region, occurring also in other parts of Europe. 
Eastward as far as Scinde it is found on migration or as a 
winter visitant. 
Habitat: Similar to that of Rad/us aguaticus. 
Genus CREX. 
CORNCRAKE OR LAND-RAIL. / 
Crex pratensis Lechst. 
Adult Male: Upper parts pale brown, with dark brown 
centres to the feathers ; wing-quills reddish-brown, the coverts 
rufous ; outer webs of first primary whitish ; sides of head 
bluish-grey ; band through the eye brown ; chin, upper throat 
and abdomen white; rest of under parts sandy, tinged on 
lower throat and chest with grey and shading into rufous 
