RALLID^I. GRUID^!. 45 



256. BAILLON'S CRAKE. Porzana bailloni (Vieillot). Rare. Spring Europe, 



to autumn. Has nested in Eastern counties. Africa, rj 



S.Asia, 7^4 



Above dark reddish brown, marked with black ; cheeks, throat, and 

 breast slaty blue ; flanks black, barred with white ; more white streaks 

 and spots on back than in next species ; under wing-coverts mottled 

 with whitish. 



Young. Chin and throat white ; breast and belly buff. Length 

 7 inches. 



257. LITTLE CRAKE. Porzana parva (Scopoli). Scarce. Spring to Europe, Persia, 

 autumn. Sind. /\ 



Much like last, but larger, and with flanks slate-grey ; white spots only 

 on centre of back ; under wing- coverts uniform. Length 8 inches. 



258. WATER-RAIL. Rallus aquaticus, Linnaeus. Resident. 



Bill reddish at base, longer than the head, and slender. 



Above brown, blotched with black ; below slaty blue ; axillaries, 

 belly, and flanks black, barred with white; legs and feet brown. 

 Length 10 inches. 



259. MOORHEN, or WATERHEN. Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus). 

 Resident. 



General colour above olive-brown, below greyish black ; scarlet frontal 

 plate in adult, greenish brown in the young ; legs and feet greenish. 

 Length 13 inches. 



260. COOT. Fulica atra, Linnaeus. Resident. 



Front toes with rounded lobes. ^9 



General colour slaty black ; secondaries tipped with white, forming *^ / 



a wing-bar ; broad white shield on forehead ; legs bluish grey ; iris 



crimson. Length 16 inches. 



Order ALECTORIDES. Family GEUIDJE. 



261. CBANE. Grus communis, Bechstein. Rare straggler. Europe and 

 General colour slate-grey ; tertials bluish black, forming elongated Jj^*^ 



plumes. 8. Europe, / 4 



Adults with a red warty patch on crown. In young this is absent, N.Africa, / / 

 and the grey feathers on back are mixed with brown. Length 48 inches. and s - Asia - ' 



262. DEMOISELLE CRAKE. Grus virgo (Linnaeus). Recorded from g Europe) 

 the Orkneys. N.Africa' and 



General colour bluish grey, sides of the head, throat, neck, the Jj^gj.*' in /' 



lengthened pointed feathers on upper breast, and quill-feathers black ; c. & S. Africa 



from each eye a tuft of lengthened white feathers extending backwards, and India. 

 Length 30 inches. 



