LANDRAIL. 93 



armed with a spine, and having the second and third quill-feather the longest. 

 I . _- >trong, of mean length, with the lower part of the tibiae naked. Feet four- 

 toed, three before, one behind. Toes long, slender, and cleft to their base, with- 

 out any lateral membrane ; hind toe resting almost wholly on the ground. Claws 

 arcuate, compressed, and sharp-pointed. Selby. 



THE LANDRAIL is a summer visiter to this country, gene- 

 rally making its appearance in the southern counties 

 during the last ten days of April ; but in Yorkshire, and 

 still farther north, as mentioned by Mr. Selby and others, 

 it is seldom observed or heard till the second week in May. 

 It frequents the long grass of marshy water-meadows near 

 rivers, beds of osiers or reeds, and fields of green corn, 

 where its presence is indicated by its creaking note ; and 

 hence one of its names, that of Corn Crake, or Corn 

 Creak, by which latter term it is also known in Ireland. 

 This call-note may be imitated by passing the edge of the 

 thumb-nail, or a piece of wood, briskly along the line of 

 the points of the teeth of a small comb ; and so similar 

 is the sound, that the bird may be decoyed by it within 

 a very short distance. The male bird is the caller, and he 

 continues the note until a mate be found and incubation 

 commenced ; after which he is less frequently heard. A 

 Landrail, kept some time in confinement, uttered besides a 

 low guttural sound when alarmed or disturbed. Pennant 

 mentions, that Landrails were plentiful in Anglesey about 

 the third week in April, and the birds were supposed to 

 pass from thence to Ireland ; it was common to kill seven 

 or eight in a morning. Mr. Selby mentions, also, that he 

 has killed eight or ten in the course of an hour, in a single 

 field, in the rich meadows upon the banks of the Trent, 

 below Newark ; a favourite locality, which is annually 

 visited by great numbers of Crakes. 



The food of the Landrail consists of worms, slugs, snails, 

 small lizards and insects, with portions of vegetable matter 



