LAND-KAIL. 67 



One, January 28th., 1846, in the parish of Shifnal, Salop. 



They assemble together in certain places before going away. 

 On their first arrival, they are in poor condition, but soon 

 become in better case. Forty were once seen by a farmer, 

 in the parish of Modbury, Devonshire, in the month of 

 October, collected together previous to leaving; he shot 

 seventeen, but the next day the others had all disappeared. 

 Individuals have been occasionally taken on ships at sea. 



The Land-Rail has a great aversion to being put up, and, 

 being of a shy and timorous nature, skulks and runs about 

 most pertinaciously in its covert, doubling backwards and 

 forwards both rapidly and cleverly, rather than do so. If 

 alarmed unawares into flight, it will suddenly drop after 

 flying a few yards, and take to its legs for security; it is 

 in consequence very rarely seen, in proportion to the com- 

 parative abundance in which it unquestionably exists. I 

 remember last year dislodging one close to me, which, 

 though apparently it must have lurked almost under my 

 feet, I could not discover: it is still more difficult to make 

 it rise a second time. If closely followed it will at times 

 take refuge in trees, running without difficulty among the 

 branches, and hiding among the leaves. 



The following well-told relation of the circumstance it 

 records I give as communicated to me by. William Robert 

 Shepherd, Esq., of the Dana, Shrewsbury: 'Rather a singular 

 circumstance occurred to me the other day. Whilst out with 

 my gun on the 13th. instant, at Ludlow, in this county, in 

 going over a grass field, my dog in advance flushed a Corn- 

 Crake, which fled steadily for a short distance, and then 

 dropped among the grass. Being desirous of watching its 

 movements, I hurried towards the spot where it had alighted, 

 when I saw it stealing through the grass with the stealth- 

 iness and rapidity of a mouse, ever and anon raising its 

 head to see the extent of the danger. I was thus watching 

 it, when suddenly it stopped and crouched close to the 

 ground. Motioning the dog to stay behind, I crept cautiously 

 to the spot, and as I drew near to it, was surprised to see 

 no attempt at escape. 



Having reached the place, I carefully examined the ground 

 for some distance round, but could find nothing. I was 

 just on the point of giving up the search, thinking that 

 the bird had stolen off without my notice, when my 

 attention was attracted by what appeared to me to be a 



