706 PORZANA 



PORZANA, Vieill., 1816. 



986. SPOTTED CRAKE. 



PORZANA MARUETTA. 



Porzana maruetta (Leacli), Syst. Cat. etc. p. 34 (1816) ; Gould, B. of Gt. 

 Brit. iv. pi. 88 ; Dresser, vii. p. 267, pi. 496 ; Saunders, p. 509 ; 

 Lilford, iv. p. 130, pi. 56 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 166 ; 

 Rallns porzana, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 262 (1766) ; (Naum.), ix. 

 p. 523, Taf. 237 ; (Hewitson), ii. p. 318, pi. Ixxxix. figs. 2, 3 ; Gould, 

 B. of E. iv. pi. 343 ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiii. p. 93. 



Poule d'eau maroiidte, French ; Frango d'agua, Portug. ; 

 Polluella, Span. ; Voltolino. Ital. ; Punktirtes RoJirhuTin, German ; 

 Porcehin lioentje, Dutch ; Plettet Sumplione Rorvagtel, Dan. ; 

 Smaaplettet Sumplione, Norweg. ; Smdflackig Sumpliona, Swed. ; 

 Kaisla-radkka, Finn. ; Kamyschnik, Russ. ; Gurguri-Jchairi, 

 Bengal. 



<$ ad. (Holland). Entire head and upper throat blackish slate-grey ? 

 the throat and head in front of the eye unspotted, the crown closely 

 marked with black and dark reddish brown ; lores blackish ; hind neck 

 and upper parts warm olivaceous brown, the neck closely spotted with 

 white, the rest of upper parts striped and spotted with white and blotched 

 with black ; quills and tail olive-brown, the first quill externally margined 

 with white ; under parts deep slate-grey, the breast and flanks spotted, and 

 the latter barred with white ; middle of abdomen nearly white ; under tail- 

 coverts ochreous buff ; bill orange-yellow, red at the base ; legs yellowish 

 green; iris reddish brown. Culinen 0*85, wing 4*8, tail 2'2, tarsus 1 '45, 

 middle toe with claw 1'7 inch. Female similar but smaller and duller, 

 the head, neck, and flanks tinged with brown, and more white on the 

 abdomen. 



Hah Europe generally, north to Trondhjem Fjord in Nor- 

 way, to Hudiksvall in Sweden, and Archangel in Russia, 

 south to the Mediterranean in winter ; Britain ; Canaries, rare ; 

 North Africa, south to Abyssinia ; Asia Minor and Asia, east 

 to Central Asia, and Northern India in winter. 



Frequents swampy places where the herbage is thick, and is 

 very secretive and shy. Its call-note is a clear Icweet, usually 

 heard in the evening or at night, and its food consists of aquatic 

 insects, larvae, small worms, snails, tender shoots and seeds. 

 Its nest, which is usually well concealed, is a loose structure of 

 flags, reeds, and leaves of aquatic plants, lined with finer 

 materials, and the eggs, 8 to 14 in number, are deposited late 

 in May or early in June, and are rather glossy, ochreous in 



