BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 43 



CRAKE, SPOTTED. 



(Pbrzana maruetta^) 

 Order FULICARLE ; Family RALLID^E (RAILS). 



Description of Parent Birds. Length about nine 

 inches. Bill of medium length, straight, thick at 

 the base and pointed at the tip, yellowish-brown 

 in colour, with a brighter and redder tinge towards 

 the base. Irides brownish -hazel. Crown hazel- 

 brown spotted with black in the middle ; over each 

 eye is a patch of dull blue-grey ; sides of head, 

 nape and sides of neck olive-brown spotted with 

 white. The feathers of the back are black, broadly 

 edged with dark olive-brown, and streaked up and 

 down with fine lines of white. Wing-coverts olive- 

 brown ; quills dark brown, mottled and barred with 

 white ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail-quills 

 black, bordered with dark reddish-brown and spotted 

 with white. Chin grey-brown ; throat and breast 

 dusky-brown mottled with white ; sides and flanks 

 greyish-brown barred with white ; under tail-coverts 

 huffish-white, legs and toes yellowish-green (toes 

 long), claws brown. 



The female is a trifle smaller, and not quite so 

 distinctive in coloration. 



Situation and Locality. In a tussock of sedge, 

 amongst reeds and other vegetation growing in 

 marshes, bogs, and wet, swampy ground. The 

 foundation is generally in water. Sparingly along 

 the east coast counties, in Wales, Cumberland, one 

 or two suitable parts of Scotland, and Ireland. 



Materials. Coarse aquatic plants, such as reeds 

 and flags in somewhat liberal quantities, and lined 

 with dry grass. 



