THE RAIL. 363 



of those feathers that it gets the name velvet, while 

 runner is characteristic of its motion ; as, though it can 

 fly tolerably well, it seldom has recourse to that ope- 

 ration. In some respects it is the most singular runner 

 among British birds. It runs through bushes that seem 

 perfectly closed with grass ; it runs up the stumps of 

 old trees ; it runs along the leaves of water-lilies and 

 other aquatic plants ; it runs from plant to plant on the 

 surface of the water ; and sometimes it dives and runs 

 along the bottom. The front plumage of this bird, and 

 also of the land -rail, is ingeniously contrived for en- 

 abling a passage to be made through reeds and bushes 

 without ruffling the feathers. The shafts of the feathers 

 in front are without webs at the points, and each ends 

 in a little knob or weight, by which the feather is kept 

 down. 



The rail measures about ten inches in length, and 

 sixteen in the expansion of the wings, and it weighs 

 about a quarter of a pound. The nest is carefully 

 concealed among the tallest aquatic plants, or in beds 

 of willows ; and it is said to take particular care that 

 there shall be openings as paths past its nest, in all 

 directions, but none leading straight to it. The eggs 

 vary from six to ten, are rather larger than those of the 

 blackbird, generally of a pure white at first, but be- 

 coming covered with spots, or otherwise changing their 

 colour, in the course of the incubation. 



The rail is wonderfully safe from the attacks both of 

 quadrupeds and birds ; and if it have sufficient cover, it 

 generally exhausts them by its doublings and evolutions, 

 without requiring to take to the wing. When reduced 

 to that necessity its motion is slow, and its flight re- 



