of the Calcutta District. 77 



which are surrounded by thick bushes overhanging the water^ 

 and in such they usually construct their nests. 



147. Erythra phcenicura. (White-breasted Waterhen.) 

 Very much commoner than the last-named ; resident and 



generally distributed. They seem to prefer the smaller tanks 

 in the jungle to the large open jheels, and most of these 

 small ponds have a pair or more of these birds on them. 

 They breed during the rains, constructing a nest either 

 floating on the surface of the water among reeds or often in 

 a quite exposed situation, or in the bushes overhanging the 

 water, or built high up among a thick clump of reeds. The 

 young leave the nest as soon as they are hatched, but return 

 to roost in it at night; during the day, if disturbed, they 

 skulk among the herbage or bushes around the tank. I 

 have often found single young ones, apparently lost, wan- 

 dering among the paddy-crops and calling plaintively. 



148. PoRZANA MARUETTA. (Spotted Crake.) 



149. PoRZANA BAiLLONi. (Baillou's Crake.) 



150. PoRZANA FuscA. (Ruddy Rail.) 



151. Hypot^nidia striata. (Blue - breasted Banded 

 Rail.) 



On February 1, 1891, in a village on the Nattagore Road, 

 near Sodepore Station, E. B. S. Railway, a coolie brought 

 me a large bamboo fish-trap, in which were several live Rails 

 of the above-mentioned species, as well as one Water-cock. 

 The greater number were of P. maruetta, and there were 

 four specimens of P. hailloni, only one of P. fusca, and three 

 of H. striata. All of them had been caught in the adjacent 

 jheel — probably in fish-traps. 



All these Rails, however, are found in most of the jlieels, 

 and in some places abundantly, running over the floating 

 weeds and taking refuge in the thicker herbage when dis- 

 turbed. 



152. Tachybaptes fluviatilis. (Little Grebe.) 

 Sparingly distributed throughout the district, in the cold 



season only, and always on open water. 



