PORZANA 707 



ground-colour, with violet-grey shell-markings and reddish 

 brown surface spots and blotches, and measure about T34 

 by 0-97. 



987. BAILLON'S CRAKE. 

 PORZANA BAILLONI. 



Porzana bailloni (Vieill.), Nouv. Diet, xxviii. p. 548 (1819) ; (Hewitson), 

 ii. p. 377, pi. cvi. fig. 1 ; (Gould) , B. of E. iv. pi. 344 ; Dresser, vii. 

 p. 275, pi. 497 ; Saunders, p. 513 ; Lilford, iv. p. 135, pL 59 ; 

 P. pygmcea (Brehm), Lehrb. ii. p. 641 (1824) ; (Naum.), ix. p. 567, 

 Taf. 239 ; (Gould), B. of Gt. Brit. iv. pi. 89 ; ? Rallus intermedius, 

 Hermann, Obs. Zool. i. p. 198 (1804) ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 xxiii. p. 103. 



Poule d'eau Baillon, French ; Polluela chica, Picardd, Span. ; 

 Schiribilla-grigiata, Ital. ; Zwerg Sumpfhuhn, German ; Kleinste 

 Waterhoen, Dutch. 



$ ad. (S. Spain). Crown, nape, and upper parts reddish brown tinged 

 with olivaceous and marked with black ; the mantle and rump clearly 

 spotted with white ; wings and tail dark brown, the outer web of the first 

 quill white ; sides of head, neck, and under parts deep slate-blue ; the 

 lower abdomen and flanks, under wing- and tail-coverts black, barred with 

 white ; bill sea-green at the base, becoming blackish green towards the tip ; 

 legs dull greyish flesh ; iris carmine-red. Culmen 0'75, wing 3'5, tail 2 '05, 

 tarsus ri inch. Female similar but duller in colour. The young bird 

 lacks the blue colour, having the sides of the head warm ochreous brown, 

 the chin and upper throat white, the lower throat and breast dull brownish 

 ochreous, the middle of the abdomen white. 



Hob. Central and Southern Europe up to about 54 N. ; an 

 irregular visitor to Britain; the whole of Africa and Mada- 

 gascar ; Asia Minor and Asia east to Persia. 



Inhabits marshy and damp localities where the herbage is 

 dense, as, like its allies, it is extremely secretive in its habits. 

 It swims with ease and grace, and is well able to dive. It 

 walks also with readiness and celerity on the floating herbage, 

 but when flushed its flight is short. Its note is a low piping 

 cry, resembling that of the Little Crake, and its food consists 

 of insects, larvae, and small molluscs. It breeds in May, its 

 nest being carefully hidden in the herbage in some swampy 

 locality, and is cup-shaped, well lined with dry grass and the 

 leaves of aquatic plants. The eggs, usually 7 to 8 in number, 

 are olivaceous ochreous very closely dotted and marbled with 

 olivaceous brown, and measure about 1*7 by 0*81. 



3 A 



