25-2 THE WATER RAIL. 



on the forehead, until beyond the line of the eyes, the 

 shafts of each feather are strong, and protrude in a 

 homy point ; the chin greyish white ; the region of 

 the eyes, cheeks, sides of the neck, and under parts, 

 until in a line with the legs, bluish grey ; the flanks 

 black, barred mth white ; tips of the feathers reddish 

 wood brown, forming a line of that colour along the 

 centre of the vent, joining mth the under tail coverts, 

 which are similar, their basal half being black, which 

 sometimes appears mixed with them ; axillaiy feathers 

 barred with black and white ; the bill is blackish 

 bro\Mi at the tip, at the base tile red, becoming 

 brighter and orange red upon the edges of the gape ; 

 legs greenish brown. White varieties sometimes 

 occm'." 



Ealliis aquaticus. — Generic characters are : long, 

 compressed, and slender bills ; nasal furrow long and 

 wide ; liney nostrils, pierced near the middle of the 

 length ; rounded, short, and concave wings, the third 

 and fourth quills of which are longest ; carpal angle 

 often armed with a spine ; legs of medium length, 

 bare above the tarsal joint; long and slender feet, 

 toes cleft to the base ; hallux short, articulated near 

 the plane of the others. Type : R. aquaticus, &c. 

 Cosmopolite. Habits, aquatic ; skulking ; ciy, of a 

 ventriloquist power ; lay numerous eggs ; perch on 

 rails, fences, or low trunks of trees ; feathers of the 

 forehead, with the shafts, prolonged into homy points. 



Black-tailed Godmt {Limosa melanura ; Scoloimx 

 limosa, Linn.). This is a handsome bird, breeding 



