160 RALLLD^E. 



1388. Rallus aquaticus. The Water-Rail. 



Rallus aquaticus, Linn. Sysf. Nat. i, p. 262 (17C6) ; Hume, S. F. 

 iii, p. 416 ; id. Cat. no. 914 bis ; Hume fy Marsh. Game B. ii, 

 p. 261 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 98; Scully, ibid. p. 591 ; George, 

 Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iv, p. 311 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiii, 

 p. 20. 



Precisely like R. indicus, except that there is no brown band 

 through the eye to the ear-coverts, the sides of the head being 

 generally ashy throughout ; the lores are sometimes brownish, but 

 there is no streak behind the eye ; .the breast is pure ashy grey, 

 without any brow r nish wash, the middle of the abdomen is sullied 

 buff, and the under tail-coverts are chiefly white. 



Upper mandible dark brown, basal half of upper mandible along 

 commissure and basal two-thirds of lower orange-red, end of bill 

 horny ; irides red ; legs and feet brownish pink to fleshy brown. 



Length 1 1 ; tail 2'25 ; wing 5 ; tarsus 1-6 ; bill from gape 1-7. 



Distribution. Throughout Europe and thePalaearctic region as far 

 east as Yarkand and Cabul. A rare winter visitor to the 

 Himalayas, obtained in Gilgit (Scully}; Kulu (Hay} ; and Dehra 

 Dun (Hume}. A skin from Sind, included under this species in 

 the British Museum Catalogue, is, 1 find (and Dr. Sharpe agrees), 

 R. indicus, but Mr. R. George states that he killed a specimen 

 near Shikarpur. There is also a skin of Hodgson's, labelled Nepal 

 and perhaps collected there. 



Habits, Sec. Similar to those of R. indicus. The nest in Europe 

 is placed in a swamp, and consists of dried leaves loosely put 

 together. The eggs, 8 to 10 or more in number, are pale stone- 

 colour, sparingly spotted with purple and dark red, and measure 

 about 1-4 by I'Oo. 



Genus HYPOTJENIDIA, Eeichenb., 1852. 



The typical species of this genus, //. pliilippensis, has a much 

 thicker and shorter bill than Rallus, with both tarsus and middle 

 toe exceeding the bill in length. In the Indian representatives 

 of the genus, however, the bill is as long as the tarsus and is only 

 distinguished by its greater thickness and by the genys being 

 distinctly angulate. There are 10 species, widely distributed in 

 the Oriental and Australian regions ; of these two occur within 

 Indian limits. 



Key to the Species. 



Wing 4'5 to 5 : breast ashy grey H. striata, p. 160 . 



Wing over 5 ; breast slaty grey H. obscurior, p. 162 



1389. Hypotaenidia striata. The Blue-breasted Banded Rail. 



Rallus striatus, Linn. St/st. Nat. i, p. 262 (1766) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 285 ; 

 Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 508 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 726 ; Godw.- 

 Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 175. 



