574 THE RAILS 



taking to the water was entirely a matter of choice. 1 An almost 

 precisely similar case is recorded by the Rev. M. A. Mathew in the 

 Zoologist, 1872, p. 3316. 



When surprised in a hedge bottom, while dusting themselves, 

 corncrakes will at times remain perfectly still, trusting to their pro- 

 tective coloration to avoid detection. I have seen a bird lying 

 motionless within a yard or two, yet watching every movement with 

 a keen eye, and the instant a hand was stretched out towards it, it 

 became suddenly galvanised into life, and with a sudden spring dis- 

 appeared in the herbage. Although by far the greater part of its life 

 is spent on the ground, the corncrake has occasionally been known to 

 perch on a tree, and will at times settle on a hedge, while it can 

 thread its way among the branches of a hedgerow with surprising ease, 

 its large feet giving it good foothold, just as the waterhen will do 

 under similar circumstances. In the west of Ireland it is not an in- 

 frequent sight to see corncrakes perched on stone walls, or running 

 along the top in an unconcerned way, but it is noticeable that these 

 Irish birds are much less shy than those which visit us, and, as Mr. 

 Ussher remarks, it is not uncommon to see them on the highroads. 



Like the wryneck, the corncrake simulates death to perfection, 

 lying absolutely inert and limp, with closed eyelids, but ready to 

 take advantage of the first opportunity to make good its escape. 



THE SPOTTED-CRAKE 



[F. C. R. JOURDAIN] 



There is probably no regular spring migrant to our shores of 

 whose habits we know so little as this elusive species. There seems, 

 however, very little doubt that it is at the present time very much 

 less abundant than formerly, though the cause of its diminution in 

 numbers is not clear. Though not particularly shy, its favourite 



1 E. T. Booth, Rough Notes, vol. ii. 



