GALLINULIN^E. RALLUS. CREX. Ill 



tion to the Snipes, from which they scarcely differ in their 

 digestive organs. 



209. RALLUS AQUATICUS. WATER RAIL. 



Plumage above olivaceous, streaked with brownish-black; 

 fore-neck and breast dull greyish-blue ; sides and haunches 

 barred with brownish-black and white ; abdomen pale red- 

 dish-yellow, proximal lower tail-coverts white, the rest 

 banded with black; bill dark brown, with the edges of the 

 upper and two-thirds of the lower mandible bright red ; feet 

 light reddish-brown, approaching to flesh-colour. Female 

 similar, but with the tints paler, the red of the bill less bright, 

 and the legs tinged with green. 



Male, 11|, 16, 5, 1ft, }|, 1{, ft. Female, 10, 15. 



Although generally distributed in Britain, and permanently 

 resident, the Water Rail is nowhere common. It frequents 

 moist meadows, the sides of ditches, brooks, or streams over- 

 grown with sedges, seeds, and other rank plants, as well as 

 marshes, especially those abounding with the yellow iris. 

 When forced to take wing, it flies slowly, and seldom proceeds 

 far ; but it runs with great celerity. Its food consists of 

 worms, slugs, helices, lymnese, insects, and seeds of grami- 

 nese. The nest is bulky, and contains from six to twelve eggs, 

 which are oval, cream-coloured, spotted with red and pale 

 grey. 



Bilcock. Runner. Skit. Skiddy Cock. 



Rallus aquaticus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 262. Rallus aquati- 

 cus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 755. Rallus aquaticus, Temm. 

 Man, d'Ornith. ii. 683. Rallus aquaticus, Water Rail, Mac- 

 Gillivray, Brit. Birds, iv. 



GENUS CX. CREX. CRAKE. 



Birds of small size, having the body much compressed, 

 the neck of moderate length ; the head rather small, oblong, 

 compressed. Bill shorter than the head, rather stout, com- 

 pressed, tapering ; upper mandible with the dorsal line 

 sloping and nearly straight, declinate, and a little convex 

 toward the end, the ridge convex, having a slightly enlarged 

 angular commencement, the sides nearly erect, toward the 

 end a little convex, the edges sharp, hard, and slightly in- 

 flected, with a very slight notch or sinus close to the tip, 

 which is rather obtuse ; the nasal sinus broad, and extend- 



