THE LANDRAIL 149 



be excused for imagining that the extraordinary running 

 powers displayed by this bird have been developed at 

 the expense of its wing-power. Under the circumstances 

 the supposition would be far from unwarrantable, the 

 impression gathered of the bird at such times being that 

 of an abnormally strong runner and weak flier, its short- 

 ness of wing and seemingly laboured wing-beats adding 

 to the latter impression. The landrail, however, is really 

 capable of most extended and arduous flights, for on 

 migration it covers considerable tracts and breadths of 

 continent and ocean. It has been found breeding in the 

 Faero Islands, whilst in far-off Greenland two examples 

 have been obtained. Mr. Howard Saunders states in 

 his excellent Manual that landrails have frequently 

 crossed the Atlantic, and have been obtained on the 

 eastern seaboard of North America. 



A landrail on the wing is calculated to deceive in one 

 other way besides that of its flight. As seen in the air, 

 one might well be excused for assuming its proportions 

 to be not greatly less than those of the partridge. On 

 getting the bird in hand, however, such thought will be 

 quickly dispelled, for it will then be found that the 

 landrail is a lean, lank creature, totally different in form 

 and substance to the rounded, plump grey partridge. 

 On placing the landrail upon the weighing-scale the 

 true difference between the two birds is even more 

 apparent, the weight of the landrail seldom reaching 

 7 oz., or rather less than half the average weight of our 

 English partridge. Occasionally landrails may be found 

 weighing half-a-pound, the highest recorded weight for 

 this bird being 9 oz. The length of adult birds is 

 about ten and a half inches. Perhaps the worst fault 

 to be found with the landrail as a table-bird is that there 



