Spotted Crake. 443 



One was picked up at Marlborough, and secured for the College 

 Museum, September 12th, 1872, by Mr. Coleman ; and Mr. Grant 

 reports one from Wedhampton, near Devizes, November, 1863, 

 and from Melksham, December, 1879. It is, like its congener, a 

 migrant ; but, unlike that species, it is one of the earliest to 

 arrive, and one of the latest to depart. Its general plumage is 

 dark green and brown, speckled with white. 



In Sweden it is distinguished by the lengthy name of Smd- 

 flacldg Sump-Hona, or ' Small-spotted Fen-Hen ' ; and with us is 

 provincially called, according to locality, ' Spotted Kail/ ' Spotted 

 Water-Kail/ and ' Spotted Water-Hen.' From the difficulty ex- 

 perienced by sportsmen in forcing it to move, and the hard work, in 

 consequence, which it gives to the dogs employed for this purpose, 

 it has obtained in the South of Europe the sobriquet of ' Kill- dog/ 

 Tue-chien, Mata-perros, Cansa-perros, etc.* Its great length of 

 foot enables it to run lightly over floating leaves, and its narrow 

 and compressed body to penetrate through the dense herbage 

 which forms its retreat. Porzana seems to be a corruption of 

 the Italian sforzana. In France it is Poule d'eau marouette ; 

 in Germany, PunUiertes Rohrhuhn ; and in Italy, Gallinellcv 

 aquatica sutro. 



169. WATER-RAIL (Rallus aquations). 



This is a very common bird in wet and marshy districts, and, 

 I am told, is especially numerous in the lowlands near Salisbury. 

 I have shot it in the water-meadows at Old Park, and I have in- 

 stances of its occurrence in all parts of the county. Like all 

 other members of the family, it seeks safety in running amidst 

 coarse herbage, and in hiding itself in the thickest cover it can 

 find ; and I have seen it, when driven by a dog from its place of 

 refuge, fly up and settle in the branches of a thick bush, in pre- 

 ference to seeking safety by flight. It will on occasion run on 

 the water, making use of the flags and floating water-plants as 

 stepping-stones in its course; and hence, I suppose, from the 



* H. Saunders in fourth edition of 'Yarrell's British Birds/ vol. iii., 

 p. 146. 



