138 BRITISH BIRDS. 



irides red. The top of the head, hinder part of the 

 neck, the back, scapulars, coverts of the wings, and 

 tail, are black, edged with dingy brown ; the ridge 

 of the wings is white, the bastard wing barred with 

 white, the inside barred with brown and white, and 

 the quills and secondaries dusky: the side feathers 

 are beautifully crossed Avith black and white, and 

 slightly tipped with pale reddish brown. The 

 inner side of the thighs, the belly, and the vent are 

 pale brown, and in some specimens speckled with 

 bluish ash. The sides of the head, the chin,* fore 

 part of the neck, and the breast, are dark hoary 

 lead colour, slightly tinged with pale rufous. The 

 tail consists of twelve short black feathers, edged 

 and tipped with dirty red; some of those on the 

 under side barred with black and white. The legs, 

 which are placed far behind, are a dull dingy red; 

 toes long, and without any connecting membrane. 

 Latham says, " the eggs are more than an inch and 

 a half long, of a pale yellowish colour, marked all 

 over with dusky brown spots, nearly equal in size, 

 but irregular." 



The Water Rail is a shy and solitary bird. Its 

 constant abode is in low wet places, much over- 

 grown with sedges, reeds, and other coarse herbage, 

 among which it shelters and feeds in hidden security. 

 It runs, occasionally flirting up its tail, through its 

 tracts, with the same swiftness as the Land Rail 

 runs through the meadows and corn fields, shews 

 as great an aversion to taking flight as that bird, 

 and has more of the means in its power of dis- 

 appointing the sportsman. It generally exhausts 



* The chin in some specimens is cream-coloured. 



