182 GRALLATORES. CREX. CRAKE. 



BAILLON'S CRAKE. 



CREX BAILLONII, J. 8$ 8. 

 PLATE XXX. FIG. 3. 



Crex Baillonii, Jardine and Selby's Illus. of Orn. part I. pi. 15. 

 GaUinula Baillonii, Temm. Man. d'Ornith, 2. 692. 

 Ortygometra Baillonii, Shaw's Zool. 12. 228. pi. 27. 

 Gallinula Foljambei ? Mont. Ornith. Diet. App. to Supp. ? 

 Poule d'Eau Baillon, Temm. Man. 2. 692. 

 Olivaceous Gallinule ? Mont. Ornith. Diet. App. to Supp. ? 

 Baillon's Crake, Jardine and Selby's Illus. of Orn. 1. pi. 15. Shaw's ZooL 

 12. 228. pi. 27. 



AFTER an attentive perusal of MONTAGU'S description of 

 the Olivaceous Gallinule, given in the Appendix to the Sup- 

 plement of his Ornithological Dictionary, and comparing it 

 with TEMMINCK'S account of Gallinula Baillonii, as well as 

 with several specimens of that bird, I feel considerable doubt 

 whether it can properly be referred to that species ; and I 

 have therefore retained TEMMINCK'S specific appellation, in- 

 stead of that of Foljambei, to which (if they were really iden- 

 tical) the bird now under consideration would, by priority of 

 imposition, be entitled. With respect to size, and to the 

 comparative length of the wings (as far as can be judged 

 from MONTAGU'S figure) they nearly agree, but in other par- 

 ticulars the Foljambe bird differs considerably from Crex 

 Baillonii. The upper parts of the body are described as to- 

 tally free from any white spots or markings, of which I never 

 yet found any mature specimens of C. Baillonii entirely des- 

 titute ; and the bird thus described having been killed in 

 the month of May, there remains no doubt of its being an 

 adult. It might, however, be suggested, that this is merely 

 a sexual difference, being the summer livery of the female, 

 but such an idea is directly contradicted by TEMMINCK'S 

 statement, that the females do not differ from the males ; and 

 I may add, that the various specimens of both sexes that 

 have come under my notice, always possessed the character- 

 istic white markings on the upper parts of the body. The 



