The Water-Rail.^ OF ORKNEY . 93 



GENUS XXII.THE RAIL. 



Gen. Char. Bill slender, a little compressed, and slightly incurvated ; nostrils 

 small; tongue rough at the end; body much compressed ; tail very short. 



Species 1. The Water-Rail. 



Water-Rail, Bilcock, or Brook-Ouzel, Wil. Orn. 314. Raii Syn. Av. 11<>. 

 Rallus aquaticus, Lin. Sys. 262. Brit. Zool. 385. tab. 9. Brit. Zool. Illus. 

 74. fig. 1. 



SOME TIME ago I had a bird of this kind sent me, but no- 

 body could I get who had ever seen another of the kind, 

 which makes me think it must be very seldom found here ; 

 where this one was caught, the sender did not inform me. 



The weight was a little more than four ounces ; the length, 

 from the tip of the bill to the claws, near fourteen inches ; 

 the breadth sixteen ; the bill near two inches, furrowed, and 

 a little crooked ; the nostrils long, placed in the furrows ; the 

 whole upper side of the body was a dark-brown, with a cast 

 of black ; the throat lead-coloured, as also the breast ; the 

 wings blackish ; the legs were pretty long, without the least ru- 

 diments of webs at the toes; these were placed far back; the 

 tail short. 



