" The nest is made on the ground." 



THE CORN CRAKE, OR LAND RAIL 



T 



HE Corn Crake, or Land Rail, 

 is a summer visitor arriv- 

 ing in April and May, and 

 leaving again during Sep- 

 tember and October. It is 

 a lover of cover and fre- 

 quents fields of green corn, 

 mowing grass, osier beds, 

 and rough pastures such as are to be 

 found on the shores of lochs in the 

 Hebrides. 



Soon after arriving it makes its pres- 

 ence knoAvn by uttering its harsh creaking 

 call notes, which are unmistakable and 

 may be heard at all hours of the night, 

 and frequently by day, especially in dull, 

 sultry weather. Many people have an 

 idea that this bird is a ventriloquist, 

 but I believe that the alteration in the 

 locality of its notes is frequently caused 

 by the creature stealthily shifting its 

 position. I have had many opportunities 



of studying the species at close quarters, 

 when the cover has been scanty during 

 a backward spring, and have watched 

 individuals running quickly from one 

 point to another, stopping ever and anon 

 to utter their call notes. On one occasion 

 I detected a Corn Crake standing beneath 

 a large coltsfoot leaf, and it certainly did 

 appear to be able to throw its voice from 

 different points, but I believe that this 

 feat was accomplished partly by the leaf 

 acting like a sounding board and partly 

 by the bird altering the position of its 

 head. 



The Corn Crake appears to be as ill 

 adapted for long flights across the sea 

 as it is for a stubborn fight, and yet it 

 can accomplish both these tests of en- 

 durance with astonishing success. Some 

 years ago I watched two males wage 

 a savage and protracted battle in a 

 Highland croft, and was greatly surprised 



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