SPOTTED CRAKE. 115 



Sweden in summer, but that it is rare. Pennant says it is 

 found in the southern parts of Russia. It is rare in tne 

 north of Germany and in Holland; more common in 

 France and Provence, and thence to the Mediterranean. 

 It is found in Corfu, Sicily, and Crete during summer, and 

 at Malta, on its passage in spring and autumn. Mr. 

 Drummond observed it at Tunis and Biserta. Mr. Strick- 

 land saw it at Smyrna in winter. 



The beak is yellowish brown, tinged with reddish brown 

 at the base ; the irides dark brown ; top of the head dark 

 brownish black ; cheeks, sides and back of the neck olive- 

 brown, spotted with white ; back dark olive-brown, each 

 feather black in the centre, and streaked longitudinally 

 with some narrow lines of white ; rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 and tail-feathers black in the middle, margined with clove- 

 brown, and spotted with white ; wing-coverts olive-brown, 

 spotted with white ; quill -feathers very dark brown ; ter- 

 tials transversely streaked with narrow lines of white; 

 chin, neck, and breast dark brown, spotted with white ; 

 belly, vent, and under tail-coverts buffy white : sides and 

 flanks lead-grey, barred with white ; legs and toes greenish 

 yellow ; the claws brown. 



Mr. Selby's description of the young is as follows : upper 

 parts of a deep oil-green, the white dispersed in the form 

 of small spots ; eyebrows deep grey, with numerous white 

 specks; cheeks, chin, and throat greyish white, with a 

 few darker specks ; lower part of the neck and the breast 

 oil-green, tinged with grey, and with small spots of white ; 

 belly and abdomen greyish white ; quills deep hair-brown ; 

 legs deep oil -green, tinged with grey ; bill dirty saffron- 

 yellow at the base, the tip brown. The whole length of an 

 adult bird is about nine inches. From the carpal joint to 

 the end of the longest quill-feather four inches and a half. 



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