LANDRAIL. Ill 



These birds usually leave this country in October, but 

 one was killed near London in the month of December/; 

 one near Yarmouth in January ; one in Shropshire, and 

 one in Ireland, also in January. 



The Landrail is common in valleys near rivers in Scot- 

 land, and abundant in Orkney and Shetland. It also 

 visits Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, going as far north 

 as the Faroe Islands and Iceland. It is abundant, as 

 might be expected, over the European continent ; and Mr. 

 Strickland saw it at Smyrna in winter. Dr. Heineken 

 includes the Landrail among the birds of Madeira; Mr. 

 Wild mentions having seen it at Algiers, and it visits 

 Malta and Sicily on its way northward in spring. 



The beak is pale brown ; the irides hazel ; over the eye 

 and ear- coverts, and on the cheeks, ash grey; the head 

 and neck all round, the back, scapulars, and tertials, pale 

 yellowish brown, each feather having an elongated central 

 streak of very dark brown ; tail-coverts and tail-feathers 

 the same ; wings and wing-coverts rich reddish chestnut ; 

 quills brown, tinged with red ; breast, belly, flanks, and 

 under tail-coverts, pale buff, barred transversely on the 

 sides and flanks with darker reddish brown ; legs, toes, 

 and claws, pale yellowish brown. 



The whole length is rather less than ten inches. From 

 the carpal joint to the end of the longest feather in the 

 wing, five inches four lines. Females are rather smaller 

 than males, and, as well as young birds of the year, have 

 the ash grey on the sides of the head less distinct and pure, 

 and the chestnut colour of the wing mixed with darker 

 reddish brown. 



By the kindness of an officer of the 42nd Royal High- 

 landers, stationed at Bermuda, I received a preserved 

 specimen of our Landrail shot on that island. 



