226 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



the case with Baillon's Crake, there were a good many minute 

 pebbles or fragments of quartz, coarse sand in fact, mixed with 

 the food, in the triturition of which it no doubt forms an 

 important part." 



Nest. Mr. Eagle Clarke found the nest of this species in 

 Slavonia, in an extensive and particularly secluded shallow 

 marsh near the village of Obrez. The surface of the marsh 

 was clothed with sallow-brakes, reed-beds, and areas covered 

 with tussocks of sedge. The nest, containing seven eggs, was 

 placed on the side, not in the centre, of one of these tussocks 

 of medium size. It was merely a depression, amply lined with 

 short broad pieces of withered reed blades, and was about six 

 inches above the surface of the water, which was here about 

 eighteen inches deep. 



Eggs. Seven or eight in number. Ground-colour pale 

 olive, flecked with brown; oval in shape. Axis, i'i inch; 

 diam., 0*85. 



THE SPOTTED CRAKES. GENUS PORZANA. 

 Porzana, Vieillot, Analyse, p. 61 (1816). 



Type, P.porzana (Linn.). 



The genus Porzana resembles Zapornia in having the tarsus 

 shorter than the middle toe and claw, but the shape of the 

 wings is different. The secondary quills fall short of the 

 primaries by as much as the length of the hind toe and claw, 

 and they are consequently more rounded than in Zapornia. 

 The sexes are alike in plumage. 



I. THE SPOTTED CRAKE. PORZANA PORZANA. 



Rallus porzana, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 262 (1766). 



Crex pcrzana, Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 535 (1852); Seebohm, 



Hist. Brit. B. ii. p. 540 (1884). 

 Porzana maruetta, Bp. ; Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 267, pi. 496 



(1878); B. O. U. List. Brit. B. p. 147 (1883); Saunders, 



ed. Yarrell's Brit. B. iii. p. 143 (1884); id. Man. Brit. B. 



p. 495 (1889). 

 Porzana porzana, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxm. p. 93 



(1894). 



(Plate CXVIIL] 



