322 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



firing of heavy ordnance, or an explosion of any 

 kind will set all the cock Pheasants within hearing 

 crowing their loudest. 



In general habits of skulking and concealment this 

 Crake much resembles the Land-Rail, but it is more 

 strictly aquatic, swimming and even diving, when 

 pressed by a dog, with great ease and rapidity ; its 

 flight also is quicker than that of the Corn-Crake, 

 and it takes wing more readily than that bird. I am 

 not aware of the occurrence of either of the two 

 smaller European Crakes Baillon's Crake, Crex 

 baillom, or the Little Crake, Crex pusilla in our 

 county or its immediate neighbourhood, though it is 

 more than probable that the former of these two 

 species may have occurred frequently in the Whittle- 

 sea fen country, as its nest has been found in Cam- 

 bridgeshire and in Norfolk, and the bird is common 

 in some parts of the Netherlands and Northern 

 France ; I have met with it in great abundance in 

 Southern Spain as also in Sicily and Cyprus. In 

 plumage and habits it much resembles the Spotted 

 Crake, but is very much smaller than that bird. The 

 Little Crake is a bird with which I have very little 

 personal acquaintance, but it has been obtained 

 pretty often in Norfolk and other parts of our 

 Islands. It appears to be the most strictly aquatic of 

 the European Crakes. 



