Rails.] 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



27 



greenish white, thickly spotted with brown. The 

 youns; are clothed with black down, tipped with 

 grev,~and immediately take to the water, under the 

 protection of their parents till able to shift for them- 

 selves. The coot is not roused to take wing without 

 difficulty, and then iiies low and heavily, with the 

 legs hangini; down, or it just skims above the surface 

 ot^the water, which it strikes with its feet by way of 

 aiding its progress. It can, however, undertake a 

 long-continued flight, as is evident from its semi- 

 migratory habits, and Mr. Selby states that he has 

 more than once seen this bird flying at a consider- 

 able elevation, with a very unexpected degree of 

 strength and speed. 



Dr. Von Siebold and M. Briiger saw the coot in 

 Japan. 



The description is as follows : — Bill pale rose-red ; 

 irides scarlet ; frontal plate largest in the male 

 milk-white ; head and neck deep greyish black ; 

 under parts greyish black, with a slight bluish tinge ; 

 upper parts slaty black ; naked part Of the tibias 

 orange; tarsi greenish grey tinged with yellow. 



1876.— The MooRHE^f 



(GallimilacJdoroptis). Poule d'eau of the French; 

 Gallinella of the Italians ; Wasserhuhn and Braune 

 Meerhuhn of the Germans ; Dvvfriar of the Welsh ; 

 Common Gallinule and water-hen, English. 



In Gallinule the beak is short and straight, the 

 cutting edges of the upper mandible falling over 

 those of the lower ; a naked frontal plate ; toes long 

 and simple. 



The moorhen, or water-hen, is dispersed over the 

 greater part of Europe, Asia, Africa, Japan, and the 

 Indian Archipelago, if indeed the species be identi- 

 cal, which is a question not settled. The Prince of 

 Canino considers the two American species (G. ga- 

 leata and G. Martinica) to be both distinct (as he 

 does also the American coot, Fulica Americana) 

 from their European representatives. 



In our island the water-hen is abundant where se- 

 cluded sheets of water, ponds, meres, or pools, bor- 

 dered by beds of reeds and rushes, overhung by old 

 willows and other trees, aff'ord it an asylum. Though 

 its feet are not fringed, it swims very gracefully, and 

 dives with singular address, both in order to escape 

 danger and to obtain food. In the former case it 

 often remains immersed amidst the shelter of 

 the herbage, with little more than its beak above 

 the water, watching till the danger is past. On the 

 land it runs with great rapidity, and when suddenly 

 surprised on the bank — where, as we have often seen, 

 it delights to bask in flocks of ten or twenty — it 

 dashes half running, half flying into the water, and 

 either dives, or skims half flying over the surface to 

 the covert of the reed-bed, and instantly disappears. 

 While walking on the grass, it has a habit of flirt- 

 ing up its short tail, so as to disi)lay the white under- 

 coverts; and in all its actions is smart, quick, and 

 animated. 



According to Mr. Gould, the female is clothed in 

 a dark rich plumage, and has the base of the bill and 

 the frontal plate of a bright crimson red, tipped with 

 fine yellow; while the male, contrary to the general 

 rule, has the upper surface more olive than the fe- 

 male, and the bill also is less richly tinted. The fe- 

 male, though more richly clad, is one-fifth less than 

 her mate. The food of this species, in addition to 

 aquaticlarvae, worms, &c., consists of aquatic weeds, 

 and grain, as wheat and barley. The water-hen selects 

 a retired spot in which to breed, and conceals the 

 nest amidst the sedges, reeds, and flags of the water- 

 side : sometimes it is placed upon a low, thickly-fo- 

 liaged, floating branch, or the stump of an old pol- 

 lard : it is formed of matted flags and rushes. The 

 eges are of a yellowish white, marbled with tints of 

 brown, and vary from five to nine in number. On 

 leaving her nest, the female always covers up her 

 effgs, principally with a view to their concealment 

 from the rat or the snake. The young are at first 

 covered with black hairy down, and immediately 

 take to the water. In five or six weeks they are 

 fully fledged, and able to provide for themselves. 

 Numbers, however, fall a prey tothe rat, the weasel, 

 the hav. k. and the pike. Base of the bill and frontal 

 plate red ; head, throat, neck, and under parts 

 blackish grey ; ridge of the wing and under tail- 

 coverts while: upper parts of the body dark olive 

 green ; legs dusky green, with a garter of red above 

 the tarsal joint. 



1877.— The Hyacinthine Gallinule 



(Porphijrio ht/acinl/iinus). Poule Sidtane of the 

 French ; Polio Sultano, Savi ; Gallo-fagiano of the 

 Catanians. 



The genus Porphyrio is characterized by having 

 the bill very strong, thick, compressed, and almost 

 88 high as long; the frontal plate extending from 

 the base of the beak is very considerable ; the tarsi 

 are strong, the toes of great length, without any de- 

 veloped membranous edging. 



These birds, observes M. Tcmminck, live nearly 

 Vol. II. 



like the water-hens, to which they are the most closely 

 approximated ; like them, their habitual haunts are 

 the fresh waters : but the immense rice-fields 

 (rizieres) and marshes of the south equally serve 

 them for an a.sylum and retreat. More inclined by 

 their appetite to cereal grains and plants than to 

 aquatic herbs, the porphyries frequent the land 

 more than do the water-hens : they swim with grace, 

 and run with elegance and swiltness on the land or 

 over the plants which grow in the water. Their 

 body is not so compressed nor so slender as that of 

 the water-hens; their formidable bill composed of 

 a very hard substance, and nearly without a nasal 

 fossa, which is covered by a membrane, serves them 

 as an instrument for cracking the husks of grains and 

 breaking the hardest stems ; their feet which thev 

 use to seize their food and convey it to their bill, 

 are provided with very long toes, easily retractile, 

 and with nails which bend also with some facility, 

 giving them the power of prehension. A bril- 

 liant plumage, where blue or a turquoise hue pre- 

 dominates, clothes the greatest number of the known 

 species. 



, The Hyacinthine gallinule is rather widely spread, 

 though it is not a native of northern or western 

 Europe, but of the southern and eastern provinces, 

 the marshes of which are its places of constant re- 

 sort. " Its range is extended," says Mr. Gould, " over 

 a great portion of Africa to the south, and as far as 

 the mountains of the Himalaya to the east. In Eu- 

 rope it is especially abundant in the Grecian Archi- 

 pelago, the Levant, and the Ionian Islands : it is less 

 common in Dalmatia and Sardinia. The Southern 

 provinces of Hungary and Russia and the borders of 

 the Caspian Sea may also be enumerated among its 

 European localities." M. Timminck states that it 

 is to be seen in many cities of Sicily (where, accord- 

 ing to M. Cantraine, it is very common in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Lentini) ; that it is not known in Dal- 

 matia nor Calabria, and is rare in Sardinia ; and that 

 it is known in Catania, under the name of Gallo- 

 fagiano. 



Beautiful as this bird is, and active and graceful as 

 are its movements, it is by no means intelligent; 

 indeed it may be said to be stupid, since, as we are 

 assured, when hard pressed it buries its head in the 

 mud as if for safety. It breeds in the marshes, 

 much in the manner of the common water-hen, 

 giving preference to the sedgy parts of the morass 

 and partially inundated rice-fields, where it con- 

 structs a nest of aquatic shrubs, and lays three or 

 four white and nearly round eggs. It is probably 

 this species which was held in such higii esteem by 

 the Romans, and kept in temples and palaces for the 

 sake of its beauty. Pliny notices its habit of soaking 

 its food in water and then raising it to its beak by 

 means of its claws : " pede veluti manu." 



Bill fine red ; legs and feet fleshy red ; irides lake 

 red ; cheeks, throat, sides of the neck, and chest 

 turquoise blue ; the remainder of the plumage deep 

 indigo blue, with the edges of the greater and 

 lesser wing-coverts more biilliant ; under tail-coverts 

 white. Length eighteen inches. 



1878.— The Water-Rail 



(Ralliis aquaticus). Rale d"eau of the French ; 

 Merla d'acqua of the Italians ; Wasser Ralle of the 

 Germans ; Cwtair of the Welsh. 



In the genus Rallus the bill is lengthened and 

 slender, and very slightly arched. The water-rail 

 is distributed over Europe, and some parts of Asia, 

 having been seen by Dr. Von Siebold in Japan. In 

 our island it is not uncommon, but is very shy and 

 recluse, tenanting secluded marshes and ponds, where 

 the thickest reed-beds screen it from observation, 

 through which, from the compressed form of its body, 

 it glides with the utmost facility and address : it 

 thus easily eludes the pursuit of the dog, winding 

 about till it gains some deep hole or other recess, 

 and can therefore seldom be flushed. It also swims 

 and dives with remarkable ease, and if pushed hard 

 instantly disappears, rising at a distance and press- 

 ing forward to the reed-bed. 



While moving undisturbed in search of food, the 

 water-rail, like the moorhen, has a habii of flirting 

 up its short tail so as to show the cream-white 

 under-coverfs. In the winter, this bird, if it docs 

 not positively migrate, resorts to the sides of large 

 streams and rivers, where various insects, worms, &c., 

 are always to be procured. The nest of this species 

 is made of coarse grasses, and concealed amidst 

 the thickest herbage in the most inaccessible part of 

 its haunt. The eggs are from six to eight in number, 

 of a yellowish white colour marked with spots of 

 brown. When first excluded, the young are covered 

 with black down, and follow their parents, swim- 

 ming with equal address. 



Bill brosvn at the tip, orange-red at the base ; 

 throat pearl grey : sides of the neck, the breast, and 

 under surface bluish or slate grey; flanks greyish 

 black barred with white and cream yellow ; under 

 tail-coverts cream white; the whole of the upper 

 surface yellowish brown, the centre of each feather 



being velvet black. Legs brown flesh-colour; iris 

 orange. Length twelve inches. 



1879. — The Virginian Rail 



(Rallus Virginianus). The Prince of Canino enu- 

 merates three species of water-rail as natives of 

 North America, of which he parallels the Virginian 

 water-rail with our British species. 



This species, says Wilson, is frequently seen along 

 the borders of salt-marshes, and breeds there, as 

 well as among the meadows bordering the larger 

 rivers; it spreads over the interior of the country as 

 far wes.t as the Ohio, and is common in the Darrens 

 of Kentucky early in May. In its habits it is mi- 

 gratory, never wintering in the Northern or Middle 

 states, which it leaves on the setting in of the frost ; 

 but many linger in the low wooded marshes of the 

 Southern states throughout the winter. With respect 

 to its general manners the Virginian rail closely 

 agrees with our water-rail, winding through the 

 dense reed or cane beds, and swimming and diving 

 with the same address. 



The nest is composed of grass and rushes ; the 

 eggs are from six to ten in number, of a pale cream 

 colour, spotted with reddish and pale purple. Its 

 food consists of worms, the larvte of insects, and 

 small shelled snails. In colour this species much 

 resembles the European water-rail, but is smaller, tmd 

 has none of the slate or lead colour on the breast 

 which marks the latter, and its toes are compara- 

 tively shorter. Length ten inches. 



1880.— The Spotted Crake 



{Crex Porzand). The genus Crex, as characterized 

 by Selby, has the bill shorter than the head, sub- 

 cultrated and compressed, with a lateral furrow on 

 each side of the upper mandible, and in which 

 the nostrils arc pierced. Wings armed with a 

 spine. The recent fashion for making genera has 

 led to the division of this group, which contains 

 four European species, into the following generic 

 divisions: Porzana of Vieillot; Zapornia, Leach, 

 Alecthelia, Swainson, being synonyms ; and Or- 

 tygometra of Ray, of which the common corn-crake 

 is the sole European representative. 



The crakes are birds of shy and recluse habits, 

 living concealed in the thick herbage of the mea- 

 dows or marshes; they have a thin compressed form 

 of body : run with a skulking gait and great rapidity, 

 seldom taking to wing unless when suddenly sur- 

 prised. Their flight is laboured. Insects, worms, 

 vegetables, and seeds constitute their diet. 



The spotted crake, Poule d'eau Maronette of the 

 French, is one of our earliest birds of passage, arriv- 

 ing in March and departing in October. On the 

 continent of Europe it is widely spread everywhere 

 haunting the margins of pools and rivulets over- 

 grown with reeds, sedges, and thick herbage. It ex- 

 tends its range to Western Asia and Africa. 



The nest of this species is built amongst the sedges 

 and reeds of the pool or marsh, and the foundation is 

 frequently under water ; it is composed of a large 

 mass of aquatic plants interlaced, with a hollow at 

 the top, neatly formed and comfortably lined. The 

 eggs are eight or ten in number, of a yelloWish grey 

 tinged with pink, and spotted with dark and pale 

 brown. Worms, aquatic insects, grain, and various 

 seeds constitute the food of the spotted crake, and 

 in autumn it becomes loaded with fat, and is ac- 

 counted excellent lor the table. 



Bill lemon-yellow, red at the base ; forehead, eye- 

 streak, and throat deep smoke-grey ; crown of the 

 head brown, the feathers edged with yellowi-h brown, 

 and speckled with white ; breast and under parts 

 olive-green, tinged with grey, with transverse dashes 

 I of white surrounded by a streak of black; upper 

 parts black, the feathers being deeply edged with 

 olive-green, and marbled with markings of white 

 surrounded by a list of black ; under tail-coverts 

 olive-green ; legs wax-yellow. 



1881.— The Corn-Crake 



{Crex pratensis). Rale de Genet, ou Roi desCailles 

 of the French; Re di Quag'ie of the Italians; 

 Weissen Knarrer of the Germans : Regen yr yd of 

 the Welsh ; Landrail, Corn-drake, Daker-hen, Eng- 

 lish. 



The Corn-crake is spread over the whole conti- 

 nent of Europe, and is very abundant in Holland. 

 It visits the southern districts of our island in April, 

 but seldom appears in the north before the beginning 

 of May. In some localities it greatly abounds ; in 

 others it is little known. In the rich meadow-lands 

 of Cheshire the monotonous cry of this bird, like 

 craltc-cralie-cralte, may be heard during May and 

 1 June resounding on every side ; now close at hand, 

 as if the bird were not a yard distant ; now far off; 

 while the voices of others in different parts are 

 unremittingly exerted. This note, which is the call 

 of the male to his mate, and which ceases on the 

 commencement of incubation, may be imitated by 

 drawing the finger or a stick across the teeth of a 

 comb. So shy and cunning is the bird, that it is 



