CRAKE. GRALLATORES. CREX. 185 







LITTLE CRAKE. 



CREX PUSILLA) Mihi. 

 PLATE XXX. FIG. 4. 



Rallus pusillus, Lath. Ind. O-rn. 2. 761. sp. 24 Pall. Reis. 3. 700. No. 30. 



Gallinula pusilla, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 4. 484 Temm. Man. 2. 690. 



Gallinula minuta, Mont. Ornith. Diet. Supp. 



Zapornia pusilla, Steph. Shaw's Zool. 12. 231. pi. 28. 



Poule d'Eau Poussin, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 2. 690. 



Kleines Rhorhuhn, Meyer , Tasschenb. Deut. 2. 414. 



Dwarf Rail, Lath. Syn. Sup. 2. 323. 



Little Gallinule, Mont. Ornith. Diet. Supp. 



Little Craker, Steph. Shaw's Zool. 12. 231. pL 28. 



THE little Crake rather exceeds in size the preceding spe- 

 cies, to which it bears a close resemblance in shape and co- 

 lour. It may, however, always be distinguished from the 

 other by the comparative slenderness of its bill, the greater 

 length of its wings (which, when closed, reach nearly to the 

 tip of the tail), and by the naked portion of the tibia being 

 longer and more apparent than in Crex Baillonn. In con- 

 sequence of this slight modification in the form of the bill, 

 and its greater length of wing, Dr LEACH, in his Catalogue 

 of the British Museum, separated it from the other Crakes, 

 and gave it the generic name of Zapornia (an apparent 

 transmutation of Porzana) ; in which distinction he has been 

 followed by Mr STEPHENS, the continuator of SHAW'S Zoolo- 

 gy. I have, nevertheless, ventured to retain it amongst 

 the Crakes, thinking that the very slight difference it exhi- 

 bits is not of sufficient importance to warrant a generic divi- 

 sion. Like the Crex Baillonii it is of rare occurrence, and Rare visi- 

 can only be considered as a visitant of that character. Its tant * 

 first notice, as a British species, is contained in MONTAGU'S 

 Supplement to his Ornithological Dictionary, under the name 

 of the Little Gallinule (Gallinula minuta), where a specimen 

 he received from Mr TUCKER, and apparently a young bird, 



