142 THE WORLD'S BIRDS. 



birds' eggs, while all destroy insects and other 

 small vermin. 



CAPTIVITY. Rails do well in captivity and become very 

 tame. A few species have bred in this condition. 

 The large and beautiful blue thick-billed species of 

 Porphyrio are those most commonly kept. 



DISTRIBUTION AND IMPORTANT SPECIES. Rails, of 

 which about two hundred species are known, are 

 found all over the world, even on the remotest 

 islands. Many species are migratory. Our familiar 

 Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and Coot (Fulica 

 atra) have very wide ranges over the Old World, 

 and are represented in America and Australia by 

 very similar species. The Land-rail or Corn-crake 

 (Crex crex) and Water-rail (Rallus aquaticus) are 

 also widely-distributed in the Old World. In 

 India the White-breasted Water-hen (Amaurornis 

 phoenicura) is the most familiar species. In 

 America the Clapper and Sora Rails (Rallus 

 crepitans and Porzana Carolina) are well-known 

 forms and objects of sport. The former is much 

 like our Water-rail, but larger; the latter some- 

 what like a small Moorhen, with white stripes. 



The " Land-rail " of Australia is the beautiful 

 Philippine Rail (Hypotaenidia philippinensis) , with 

 barred breast and cinnamon -spotted quills. In 

 New Zealand the flightless Weka Rails (Ocydromus) 

 are common, and amount locally to a nuisance in 

 destroying eggs and young birds. The Wekas 

 are streaky-brown birds as big as small fowls. 

 The above-mentioned Porphyrios are confined 

 to the warm parts of the Old World, though 

 some very similarly coloured birds, much smaller 

 (lonornis), are found in America. The nearly- 

 extinct New Zealand Notornis is a huge flightless 

 Porphyrio. The Ypecaha illustrated is South 

 American. 



