THE CRAKE. 169 



the prettiest of all, and this was a regular summer 

 migrant to our parts, and generally seen in pairs or small 

 flocks, of four to six in the forest, feeding on the ground, 

 on dry sandy rises, under cherry-trees or small gums. 

 The general plumage of this paroqueet is green and 

 yellow, and it has a dark red spot upon each shoulder. 



The lowan, the emu, the wild turkey, and the native 

 pheasant have already been described. 



My list of game birds includes the sis species of 

 quail, the pigeons, the snipe, plovers, native com- 

 panion, coot, moorhen, dabchick, bittern, herons, white 

 cranes, egret, nankeen crane, spoonbill, and ibis. 



I have already described the large crake peculiar to 

 Port Philip ; but we had two smaller varieties, which, 

 although they in habits mucb resembled the water-rail, 

 were, in my opinion, true crakes, and I considered them 

 identical with the spotted and lesser crakes of Europe. 

 They both frequented the long grass by the edges of the 

 lagoons and swamps, were local, but by no means rare ; 

 I think the lesser crake was the most common, and I 

 rarely met with both in the same localities. 



The dark variety much resembled the spotted crake of 

 Europe in shape and plumage. It was larger than the 

 other, the beak longer, and dark green, the eye vermillion, 

 eye-lids and legs red ; the head was chesnut red. I used 

 to kill two varieties ; in one the head was dark, but as it 

 resembled the other in every respect otherwise, I fancied 

 it was the same bird in a different state of plumage. 



The lesser variety was lighter in plumage and smaller 



