KALLINA. 167 



wing-lining, except near the edge of the wing, brown barred with 

 white. Sexes alike. 



Young birds have a white throat and brown breast, and are 

 much speckled with white. Nestling black. 



Bill yellow, orange at the base and shading into dusky olive at 

 the tip and on the culmen ; irides red-brown ; legs and feet bright 

 olive -green. 



Length 9 ; tail 1'9 ; wing 4'75 ; tarsus 1*3 ; bill from gape *8. 



Distribution. A migratory bird, found in summer in ^Europe 

 and in Western and Central Asia, and visiting Northern Africa 

 and India in the winter. At this season it is found not un- 

 commonly throughout Northern India from Sind to Arrakan. It 

 has been recorded from the Deccan as far sou^h as Belgaum, and 

 Jerdon states that it is found all over India, though of late years 

 it has not been observed to the southward nor in the Central 

 Provinces, Chutia Nagpur, or Orissa, and it is not known to occur 

 in Ceylon, in Assam, nor in Burma east of Arrakan. 

 Habits, 6fc. The Spotted Crake arrives in Northern India in 

 September and leaves about April. It keeps to thick reeds and 

 cultivation in swampy ground aud is rarely seen. It is not known 

 to breed in India. 



Genus RALLINA, Eeichenb., 1846. 



Bill much stouter than in Rallus, and considerably shorter than 

 the middle toe, which is shorter than the tarsus. Wing rounded ; 

 1st quill much shorter than 2nd, which is exceeded by the 3rd. 

 Secondaries nearly as long as primaries or a little longer. 



To this genus in Sharpe's Catalogue five species are referred, 

 ranging from India and Ceylon to Australia ; two are Indian or 

 Burmese. I also leave in this genus the Andaman 11. canningi, 

 separated by Sharpe as Castanolimnas because the secondaries 

 slightly exceed the primaries, whilst in typical Rallina the former 

 are a little shorter than the latter. The difference is small, and 

 scarcely, I think, of .generic importance. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Back and wings brownish olive;; bill from 



gape 1-2 R. snperciliaris, p. 167. 



b. Back and winge rufous brown ; bill from 



gape 1 R.fasciata, p. 169. 



c. \Vhole upper surface deep ruddy chestnut ; 



bill from gape 1'4 R. canninyi, p. 169. 



1395. Rallina snperciliaris. The Banded Crake. 



Rallue nigrolineatus, G. R. Gray, List Gratia B. M. p. 117 (1844 : 



descr. nulla). 



llnllus superciliaris, Eyton, A. M. N. H. xvi, p. 230 (1845). 

 Porzana ceylonica, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 285 ; Jerdon, B. L in, p. 72o ; 



