RALLID.E. 



black colour on the centre of the back, or on the scapulars, 

 or the white spots upon the black, are so pure in colour as 

 the same parts in the males ; nor are the white spots so 

 numerous ; the chin white ; legs, toes, and claws, in the 

 preserved specimen pale brown ; all the other parts as in 

 the adult male. 



The whole length is six inches and a half. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing four inches ; the first 

 and the sixth quill-feathers equal in length, and shorter 

 than the fourth or the fifth ; the second and third feathers 

 equal in length, and the longest in the wing : the length of 

 the tarsus one inch and one-eighth ; the length of the mid- 

 dle toe and claw one inch and five-eighths. 



The young male which belonged to Dr. Thackeray, the 

 use of which was allowed me for this work, was killed in 

 the month of January, and was to all appearance a bird of 

 the previous season, not having quite attained the mature 

 plumage, the chin being still greyish white, and the lead- 

 grey colour of the front of the neck, breast, and belly 

 being varied with patches of pale buffy brown and bars 

 of greyish white. In still younger birds, before their first 

 autumn moult, the neck, breast, and under parts are pale 

 buffy white mixed with light brown. 



There is reason to suspect that the Little Crake and 

 Baillon's Crake have been sometimes confounded. As 

 particular marks of distinction, it may be mentioned, that 

 the Little Crake exhibits but a few white marks on the 

 centre of the back, and sometimes on the scapulars, but 

 never on the wing-coverts ; in Baillon's Crake on the 

 contrary, these white marks are very numerous, occupying 

 several distinct situations, namely, the central space on the 

 back, the scapulars, wing-coverts, and tertial feathers on 

 both sides. 



