GRALLATORES. 205 



that he has seen two others, in a birdstuffer's shop, 

 which were also obtained at Chiswick in the autumn 

 of 1863. 



I have seen two specimens of the Spotted Crake 

 in the collection of Mr. Minasi, which were shot by 

 Mr. W. K. Heseltine, at Laleham, in 1857 ; and 

 another, in the same collection, which was caught 

 some years previously at Hyde Bridge, on the Brent, 

 by a retriever belonging to Mr. Minasi. 



With regard to the last example of which I 

 have heard as having occurred in this county, 

 my friend, Mr. W. H. Power, writes me word as 

 follows : 



" I shot one of these birds at West Drayton, as it 

 was crossing the river Colne, which here divides the 

 counties of Middlesex and Buckinghamshire. My 

 dog started it from an osier-bed full of tall reeds, 

 and I killed it under the impression that it was a 

 young Moorhen. This was on the 2nd August, 

 1860." 



LITTLE CRAKE, Gallinula pusilla. Montagu truly 

 observes that the habits of the smaller species of 

 Gallinules are their principal security : " They are 

 not only equally capable of diving and concealing 

 their bodies under water, with only the bill above 

 the surface to secure respiration, but run with 

 celerity and hide themselves amongst the rushes 

 and flags of swampy places, and are with great diffi- 

 culty roused, even with the assistance of dogs, 



T 



