244 RALLID^J BALLUS 



XJy , 



670. Rallus cserulescens, Kaffir Bail. 



Eallus caerulescens, Gmel. SysL Nat. i, p. 716 (1788) ; Grill, K. Vet. 

 Akad. Handl Stockh. ii, no. 10, p. 54 (1858) [Knysna and Oudt- 

 shoorn] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 337 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 

 471 ; id. in Andersson's B. Damaral p. 316 (1872) ; Aijres, Ibis, 1873, 

 p. 283, 1874, p. 107, 1877, p. 351 ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, pp. 133, 213 ; 

 Holub <& Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 295 (1882) ; Sharpe, eel. LayarcCs 

 B. S. Afr. p. 610 (1884); Sliarpe, Cat. B. M. xxiii, p. 25 (1894); 

 Shelley, B. Afr. i. p. 175 (1896) ; Woodward Bros., Natal B., p. 168 

 (1899) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 275 (1900). 



Rallus aquaticus (nee Linn.), Gurney, Ibis, 1859, p. 249 [Natal], 1868, 

 p. 261 [Damaraland] . 



Description. Adult. General colour above dark brown, darkest 

 on the wings and tail and becoming a dark slaty-black on the 

 crown ; sides of the face, neck and breast dark slaty-blue, becoming 

 white on the throat ; flanks, thighs and abdomen black, trans^ 

 versely banded with narrow bars of white; under tail-coverts 

 white ; axillaries and under wing-coverts black, barred and mottled 

 . with white. 



FIG. 76. Head of Rallus ccerulescens. x |i 



Iris red brown to blood red ; bill and feet bright red. 



Length 10*5; .wing 4'20 ; tail 1'5 ; culmen 1.70; tarsus 1-5. 



The young bird is browner than the adult, the sides of the neck 

 and breast are brown, the chin and centre of the breast wbitish 

 tinged with rufous brown ; the abdomen, flanks and under tail- 

 coverts are brown, irregularly barred with rufous brown ; iris dusky 

 tawny, bill dusky-brown inclining to reddish about the tip and 

 nostrils, legs dull brown. 



Distribution. Though nowhere very common, this Bail is widely 

 spread over the greater part of South Africa and extends beyond 

 our limits to southern Angola, Nyasaland and German East Africa ; 



