ORDER FULICARI/E 25 



ORDER FULICARI/E. 



THE family Ra//ida> includes several genera of British Birds, the Water-Rails 

 belonging to the genus Rallus, the Crakes Porzana, the Moor-hens Gallinula, 

 the Coots Fulica, and the Corn-Crakes Crcx. The habits of the birds of these 

 different genera vary considerably, some being aquatic and others exclusively 

 terrestrial. 



Family RALLIDJE. 



THE WATER-RAIL. 



Rallus aquaticus, LINN. 



THE Water-Rail, of which one species only is found in Europe, is generally 

 distributed and a permanent resident in Great Britain and Ireland. It is 

 also found in most parts of Europe, North Africa, and in Asia as far east as 

 India, but in Japan it is replaced by another species, Rallus japonicus. To a certain 

 extent it is migratory, many remaining throughout the winter, but others come 

 in migratory flights from the north and disperse themselves over those localities 

 in this country which are sufficiently moist to afford them shelter and food, thus, 

 Stevenson, in his " Birds of Norfolk," writes : " It is both a resident and migrant, 



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