RALLUS 705 



c ad. (England). Crown, nape, and hind neck blackish, marked with 

 fulvous brown ; upper parts warm olive-brown blotched with blackish ; 

 quills olivaceous brown ; tail darker, the feathers margined with olivaceous 

 brown ; lores sooty blackish ; sides of head, throat, neck, breast, and upper 

 abdomen deep slaty blue ; lower abdomen and flanks black barred with 

 white ; middle of lower abdomen brownish buff ; a white patch on the 

 under tail-coverts ; bill dark brown, the base of the lower edge of 

 upper mandible red ; legs fleshy brown ; iris red. Culmen 1-62, wing 4'6, 

 tail 2-12, tarsus 1'72 inch. Female similar but rather duller. 



Hob. Europe generally, north to Trondhjem Fjord ; Britain ; 

 resident in Iceland ; North Africa in winter ; Asia Minor and 

 Asia east to Yarkand and Cabul ; N.W. India in winter, but 

 rare. 



Frequents low swampy localities in or near woods, overgrown 

 ditches, &c., and is shy and secretive in its habits. It seldom 

 flies far when flushed, but is able to take extended flights, and 

 swims and even dives with ease. It feeds on worms and 

 aquatic insects, rarely on vegetable substances. Its call-note 

 is a clear creek, usually uttered when on the wing, and its cry is 

 loud and peculiar. It breeds in damp, swampy localities, and 

 conceals its nest with care ; this is a rather large, loose structure 

 of dry leaves of aquatic plants, and is placed on the ground. 

 The eggs, 8 to 10 in number, are usually deposited in April, 

 and are pale whitish stone-buff, marked with pale purplish 

 shell-spots and dark red surface-blotches and spots, and measure 

 about 1-39 by 1/4. 



985. SUBSP. RALLUS INDICUS. 



Rallus indicus, Blyth, J. A. S. Beng. xviii. p. 820 (1849) ; David and 

 Oust, Ois. Chine, p. 489 ; Seebohm, B. Jap. Emp. p. 359 ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiii. p. 24 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. 

 p. 158 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 993 ; R. japonicus, Jerd. B. of Ind. 

 ii. p. 727, note (1863) ; Dresser, vii. p. 261. 



Kana-koli, Tarn. ; Yay-gyet, Burm. ; Kuina, Jap. 



ad. (Japan). Differs from R. aquaticits in being rather darker, the lores 

 and a broad streak continued behind the eye blackish, and the barring 

 on the under parts extends to the end of the tail-coverts. 



Hob. Dauria, Mongolia, Japan, North China ; wintering in 

 South China, Burma, India, and Ceylon. 



In habits it does not differ from R. aquaticus. It breeds in 

 south-eastern Siberia and Japan, its nest and eggs being also 

 similar to those of R. aquaticus. 



