176 GRALLATORES. CREX. CRAKE. 



they hang their legs when only on wing for a short distance. 

 All the British species are migratory, and come under the 

 designation of summer visitants. The plumage of both sexes 

 is nearly alike, differing only in the colours of the male bird 

 being purer and brighter in tint. The young, however, are 

 very different, and do not acquire the matured plumage till 

 they undergo the second general moulting 



MEADOW OR CORN CRAKE. 



CREX PRATENSIS, Bechst. 

 PLATE XXX*. 



Crex pratensis, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 4. 470. 



Ortygometra Crex, Steph. Shaw's Zool. 12. 218. pi. 26.Flem. Br. Anim. 



1. 98. sp. 129. 



Rallus Crex, Linn. Syst. 1. 261. 1. -Gmel Syst. 1. 71 1- 

 Gallinula Crex, Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 766. sp. \.-Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 2. 



686. 



Porphyrio rufescens, Briss. 5. 533. 5. Will, 236. 

 Rale de Genet, ou lioi des Cailles, Buff. Ois. 8. 146. t. 12 Id. PI. Enl. 



750. 



Poule d'Eau de Genet, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 2. 686. 

 Wiesenknarrer, Bechst. 4. 470. Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. t. Heft 10. 

 Land-Hen, Daker-Hen, or Rail, Will (AngL) 1?0. t. 29. 

 Crake Gallinule, Penn- Br. Zool. 2. 484. No. 21 6. pi .75. Lath. Syn. 5. 250. 



1 Mcmt. Ornith. Diet. 1. Bewick's Br. Birds. 1. 311. 

 Corn-crake, Steph. Shaw's Zool. 12. 218. pi. 26 Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 98. 



sp. 129. 



PROVINCIAL Land-rail, Crek, Bean-crake, Corn-cracker, Corn-drake. 



SOME writers have attempted to separate the Meadow- Crake 

 from the other species, and to make it the type of a genus ; 

 not, it would appear, from any essential difference in its 

 characters (which, on the contrary, and particularly with 

 respect to anatomical structure, agree with the others), but 

 from a fancied difference in its habits, which are considered 

 not so much approaching to aquatic as those of any of its 

 congeners. This modification will, however, be found much 

 slighter in reality than they who would thus separate the 

 species are willing to allow, being in fact confined to a trif- 

 ling difference in the quality and dampness of the soils these 



