THE BIRDS OF BRECONSHIRE. 219 



Bittern with a skeleton of a Water Kail which had been taken 

 from its crop after it had been killed. 



Landrail, or Corn Crake, Crex pratensis. — Fairty plentiful, 

 but I have never seen them in any numbers. In August and 

 September they are often found on the hills, where I think they 

 resort before returning. They are not nearly so plentiful with 

 us as in England, and I think have decreased in numbers of late 

 years. Here again the Welsh name, " Ysgrech y gwair " (the 

 screamer of the hay), is most expressive, the word " ysgrech," as 

 pronounced in Welsh, being a good imitation of the cry of the 

 Corn Crake, and preferable in this respect to our word " crake." 



Spotted Crake, Crex porzana. — A regular visitant, but very 

 local. On many large bogs in this county it is never seen, on 

 others it is invariably to be found. On the numerous bogs on 

 the Eppynt Hills, over which I had the privilege of shooting for 

 many years, I have never seen it, whilst on the Trath, a large 

 bog on Mynydd Illtyd, near Brecon, it is to be found every year ; 

 but the favourite spot for them in this county is in the large bog 

 near Onllwyn, and here in the early part of the shooting season 

 I invariably flush several, and many breed in this place. I one 

 day flushed six and killed four, three of which were birds of the 

 year. The station-master who was then at Onllwyn informed me 

 that there were two broods of them hatched in that part of the 

 bog close to the station that year. This is an enormous bog, the 

 middle of it being very deep, and about half a mile of it absolutely 

 unapproachable, thus forming a secure retreat for many water- 

 birds. From the thickness of the reeds it is almost impossible 

 to beat this stronghold of the Spotted Crake with dogs, and 

 many have been lost in attempting it. I generally find them 

 where a warm spring or two runs in a little rivulet through the 

 centre of a bog, and they greatly frequent this part. The flight 

 of the Spotted Crake varies greatly, sometimes, like the Moorhen, 

 flapping slowly out with its legs hanging straight down; at another 

 time tucking them up under their bodies, and flying with all the 

 speed of, and very similar to, a Quail, and the more the autumnal 

 season advances the stronger I fancy they fly. I have never seen 

 one after October. I once had one alive in my hand, a winged bird 

 that my dog caught before it could escape into the reeds ; its eye 

 was a brilliant olive-green, and exactly matched the colour of its 

 legs. I mention this because bird-stuffers invariably return you 



