442 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



the fore part and side of the throat the same, 

 streaked with brown ; legs and toes greenish yellow ; 

 claws brown. 



The eggs are pale reddish white, spotted and 

 speckled with reddish brown. 



BAILLON'S CRAKE, Crex Baillonii. I include this 

 rare little Crake in the list of Somersetshire birds 

 on the authority of Yarrell, who says, "In Sep- 

 tember, 1840, Francis Edwardes, Esq., of Brisling- 

 ton, near Bristol, sent me word that an adult female 

 of this species had been killed a short time before 

 on some marshy ground near Weston- super-Mare, a 

 small watering place on the Bristol channel." 



This little Crake, although very rare, is probably 

 resident in England, as its nest has been occa- 

 sionally found, and it has more than once been 

 killed in November, and one specimen has been 

 obtained in January. 



The nest appears to be placed much in the same 

 situation as that of the last-mentioned species. A 

 nest found near Yarmouth, in 1866, was placed in a 

 parcel of reeds growing in water about one foot in 

 depth : it was very small, loosely made and com- 

 posed of dry rushes.* 



This bird is said to feed on aquatic insects and 

 their larvae, small beetles, spiders and rarely on 

 vegetable matter. 



* ' Zoologist ' for 1806 (Second Series, p. 443). 



