401 



p. 974), "the little crake in general colouring ap- 

 proaches the water rail, while Baillon's crake more 

 nearly resembles the spotted crake." In the little crake, 

 according to Yarrell, the white spots on the upper surface 

 are confined to the back and scapulars, but do not ex- 

 tend to the wing-coverts, whereas in Baillon's crake they 

 are much more numerous, and more generally dispersed 

 over the back and wings. In Baillon's crake, also, the 

 outer web of the first primary is always white, the same 

 in the little crake being as constantly brown. 



CREX BAILLONI (Vieillot.) 

 BAILLON'S CEAKE. 



Messrs. Gurney and Fisher describe this diminutive 

 rail as "very rare, but less so than the little crake," 

 yet, to my surprise, I find the records of its occurrence 

 far less frequent; and although a nest and eggs pre- 

 sumed to belong to this species, have been recently 

 discovered, for the first time, in Norfolk, I know of 

 no instance in which it has been killed in this 

 county during the last twenty years. Mr. Lubbock, 

 in his "Fauna," states that, to his knowledge, "it has 

 been shot three times on Barton Fen, and appears far 

 more rare than it really is, as it creeps and skulks about, 

 and scarcely any dog, however sagacious, can compel it 

 to fly." The same author also remarks in a commu- 

 nication to Yarrell, "On the 2nd of April, 1833, a fen- 

 man of my acquaintance killed an adult male of this 

 species, upon a marsh at Dilham, in this county ; it is 

 now in my possession. Three years previously he had 

 killed another at Barton, an adjoining parish; it was 

 late in autumn, and the bird was in immature plumage." 

 A specimen in Mr. J. H. Gurney's possession was thus 

 recorded by him in the " Annals of Natural History " 

 2 r 



