174 GRALLATORES. RALLUS. RAIL. 



grass, and contained six eggs of an immaculate white ; like 

 those of its congeners, rounded at both ends. TEMMINCK 

 and BECHSTEIN, however, make the number of eggs to be 

 ten or twelve, and their colour a yellowish-white, spotted 

 with reddish-brown, a description which also answers to those 

 of the Crex Porzana. This discordance, I regret, it is not 

 in my power to settle, never having been fortunate enough 

 to meet with the nest of the Rail. The geographical distr^ 

 bution of this species appears to be confined to Europe, and 

 perhaps the northern parts of Asia ; permanent in the warm 

 districts, but migratory as it approaches the north. It is very 

 abundant throughout Holland, France, and Germany. 



PLATE 29- Represents this bird of the natural size. 



General ft[\\ reddish-orange at the base, passing into blackish-brown 

 tion. towards the tip. Irides red. Chin pearl-grey. Cheeks, 



sides of the neck, breast, and belly, bluish-grey. Ab- 

 domen and flanks greyish-black, barred with white and 

 cream-yellow. Under tail-coverts cream-yellow. Crown 

 of the head, nape and back part of the neck, and all the 

 upper parts of the body, yellowish-brown, with the cen- 

 ters of the feathers velvet-black. A few of the lesser 

 wing-coverts barred with black and white. Legs and 

 toes yellowish-brown, tinged with flesh-red. Both sexes 

 are of similar plumage. 



GENUS CREX, BECHST. CRAKE. 



GENERIC CHARACTERS. 



Bill shorter than the head, thick at the base, subcultrated, 

 compressed ; the culmen gradually deflecting from the fore- 

 head to the point of the bill ; lateral furrow of the upper 

 mandible broad, and occupying more than half its length ; 

 angle of the under mandible bending upwards ; both man- 

 dibles of an equal length. 



