THE CORNCRAKE 571 



laid the cock crakes almost continuously. He is, however, most 

 vociferous at night, taking only a short rest about midnight, in the 

 early morning, and in the evening, but the note may occasionally be 

 heard at all hours of the day. The peculiar dissyllabic crake, uttered 

 with widely opened bill, which Naumann writes as " Arp-schnarp " or 

 " Knarp kncirp," or more correctly as " Rarp-Rm-p" is too well known 

 to require much description, and can be imitated so successfully with 

 the help of a comb, that the bird will sometimes be quite deceived, 

 and will come to meet its supposed rival. Naumann states that while 

 the eggs are being laid the craking still goes on steadily, but much 

 less continuously while incubation is going on, and it does not cease 

 altogether till the young have attained a good size. It is, however, 

 noticeable that in the case of Mr. Bonhote's birds the male craked 

 most vigorously up to 11 P.M. on the night of June llth, and then 

 ceased, while the first egg was laid on June 12th. The eggs were after- 

 wards removed, as the hen would not sit, and on the following day the 

 cock began to crake again. Six days after the first clutch had been 

 removed the hen began to lay again, and the cock at once ceased to 

 crake. The whole of the work of incubation was performed by the hen, 

 and lasted for seventeen days. Previous estimates of the period as 

 about three weeks are probably inaccurate, but in some cases, accord- 

 ing to Mr. O. A. J. Lee, the hen begins to sit as soon as the first egg 

 is laid, especially in the case of second clutches. During this time 

 she sits very closely, and many cases are on record in which she has 

 been killed either by the scythe of the mower, or nowadays more 

 frequently by the blades of the mowing-machine. To this cause, and 

 the destruction of the young by similar means, is undoubtedly due to 

 a great extent the serious diminution in the numbers of this species 

 which has taken place of late years in the midland and southern 

 counties of England. The breeding season is curiously irregular, and 

 full clutches of eggs may be obtained from mid-May to early July, so 

 that at first sight it seems obvious that two broods are produced. 

 More evidence on the point is, however, desirable. 



