23 



II. THE CAROLINA CRAKE. PORZANA CAROLINA. 



Rallus Carolina, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 363 (1766). 



Porzana Carolina, B. O. U. List. Brit. B. p. 147 (1883) ; 



Saunders, Manual Brit. B. p. 496, note (1889) ; Sharpe, 



Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiii. p. 97 (1894). 

 Crex Carolina^ Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. ii. p. 541 (1884). 



Adult Male. General colour above olivaceous brown, varied 

 with black centres and white margins to the feathers ; the 

 lower back and rump darker, the black centres to the feathers 

 being more pronounced; wing-coverts for the most part uniform 

 olivaceous brown, with white spots and freckles on the greater 

 series ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills, dusky-brown, 

 externally olivaceous brown, the bastard-wing feathers and outer 

 primary edged with white ; the innermost secondaries centred 

 with black and edged with white like the back ; tail-feathers 

 olivaceous brown, with blackish centres ; crown of head and 

 neck more rufous brown than the back, and more uniform; 

 forehead and centre of crown black, as well as the lores, fore 

 part of cheeks, and centre of throat and fore- neck ; a narrow 

 eyebrow, sides of face, sides of neck, and chest ashy- grey ; 

 breast white, the lower flanks barred with black ; the sides of 

 the body brown, barred with white, each white bar with a 

 narrow border-line of black ; thighs brown ; under tail-coverts 

 white, the vent tinged with fulvous ; under wing-coverts brown, 

 edged with white like the edge of the wing ; axillaries brown, 

 distinctly barred with white ; bill yellow at base, dusky towards 

 the end ; feet yellowish-green ; claws light brown ; iris bright 

 chestnut Total length, 8-0 inches ; oilmen, 0-9 ; wing, 4-3; 

 tail, i '9; tarsus, 1.45; middle toe and claw, 175. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male in colour. Total length, 

 8*0 inches; wing, 4*25. 



Young. Upper surface resembling that of the adult, but the 

 under surface for the most part white ; the lower throat and 

 fore-neck, sandy-buff; the under tail-coverts light tawny buff; 

 sides of the breast brown, and the flanks black, both barred 

 across with white ; lores and sides of face ashy-brown ; a 

 supra-loral streak, eyebrow, and cheeks sa*'dy buff. 



