PORZANA. 641 



hard pressed, and feeds on insects and fresh-water fish. Breeds in the 

 island during July. Eggs, 6 in number, broad, very regular ovals ; in colour 

 varying from pinky white to a rich pinky stone colour, or even warm cafk au 

 lait boldly streaked with maroon red and purple. 



Sub-Family, RALLIN^E. RAILS. 



Forehead with a nude shield ; bill compressed, slender ; toes shorter than 

 in the Gallinules ; shoulder of wing with a tubercle or short spur. 



Gen. Porzana. Vieill. 



Wings moderate, rounded ; tail short ; toes long, about the length of the 

 tarsus. 



1328. Porzana Bailloni (Vieill. \ Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 275, pi.; 

 Legge, B. Ceylon, p. 766; Hume and Dav., Str. F. vi. p. 467; Scully, 

 Sir. F. viii. p. 358; Hume and Marsh., Game Birds ii. p. 203, pi.; Oates, 

 B. Br. Burm. ii. p. 344. Rallus Bailloni, Nouv. Diet, d'Hist. Nat. xxviii, 

 p. 548. Crex pygmsea, Naum. Naturg. Vog, "Deutschl. ix. p. 567. Porzana 

 pygmaea, Jetd.^ B, Ind. iii. p. 723, No. 910 ; Murray, Vert. ZooL, Sind, 

 p. 264. Zaporna pygmaea, Hume, Nests and Eggs Ind. B. p. 603. The 

 PIGMY RAIL or BAILLON'S CRAKE. 



Head and hind neck wood brown; back, scapulars and wing coverts 

 yellowish brown with an olive tinge, the feathers with numerous irregular, 

 white, black-edged spots; supercilium, cheeks, chin and throat grey; breast 

 and upper abdomen bluish grey ; the sides, vent and under tail coverts black, 

 with transverse white bars; primaries dusky brown; outer web of 1st quill 

 yellowish white; secondaries with zigzag white lines bordered with black; 

 tertiaries yellowish brown, with a tinge of olive, spotted or streaked irregularly 

 with white, which have edgings of black ; tail dusky brown ; bill dark green ; 

 irides reddish; legs fleshy brown. 



Length. 7 to 7-75 inches; wing 3*67; tail i'75 to 2; bill at front 0*62 ; 

 tarsus i'o ; mid-toe and claw I -5. 



Hab. Sind, Punjab, N.-W. Provinces and Oudh, also Bengal, Nepaul, 

 Ryjputana, Kutch, Guzerat, Concan and Deccan, and generally throughout 

 India and Burmah, also Ceylon. It is also an inhabitant of Beloochistan and 

 Afghanistan, and probably Persia also. In Central and Southern India it is 

 said to be not uncommon. 



Breeds during July and August in the plains of Upper India and in the lower 

 ranges of the Himalayas about rice swamps and marshy pools. Eggs, six in 

 number, oval, slightly pointed towards one end; a pale olive stone colour or 

 greenish drab, thickly freckled and mottled with faint dusky clouds and streaks. 

 In length they vary from ri to 1*22 and in width from 0*83 to 091 inch. 

 VOL. II. 83 



