168 



in describing its distribution in Ireland, he says, it ''is 

 to be found on flat, sedgy islands in the larger lakes, 

 where one cannot walk with dry feet." The nest is com- 

 posed of dry grass and small weeds. The eggs, six to ten 

 in number, are of a very pale buff-colour, spotted and finely 

 blotched with reddish-brown. 



Incubation begins early in June. Hundreds of hatching- 

 birds and their eggs are destroyed annually by the mowing- 

 machine, but the numbers are maintained by the birds 

 that breed in corn, which is not cut until the broods are 

 hatched, and also by those which resort to uncultivated 

 ground where the mowing-machine is not used. 



Geographical distribution. Abroad, the Corn-Crake 

 breeds freely over a large area of Temperate Europe, extend- 

 ing its' range in suinmer even to the Arctic Circle. East- 

 ward, it can be traced as a breeding-species over the greater 

 part of the Asiatic Continent. In winter it migrates to 

 Central and Southern Africa as well as to Arabia. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. 1 Adult male nuptial. Top of head, back of 

 neck, back, and scapulars, dark brown, the feathers being 

 broadly edged with dull yellowish-buff; wing-coverts and 

 primaries, 2 beautiful rich chestnut, conspicuous when the 

 bird is flying ; cheeks, greyish ; throat, white ; breast, 

 greyish-buff; abdomen, greyish- white ; flanks, alternately 

 barred with chestnut and buff. 



Adult female nuptial. The grey on the head, and the 

 chestnut on the wings are duller than in the male. 



Adult winter, male and female. -The grey on the head 

 .and breast is replaced by ochreous-brown, and some of the 

 wing-coverts show whitish bars. 



Immature, male and female. Resembles the winter 

 adult plumage. 



Nestling. Dark brownish-black. 



BEAK. Light brown. 



FEET. Brown.. 

 1 IRIDES. Light hazel. 



1 Partial and entire albino Corn-Crakes are on record. 



2 According to Mr. J. L. Bonhote, the primaries and secondaries are 

 shed simultaneously. ('Zoologist,' 1900, p. 29). 



