THE BIRDS OF CORKWALL. 213 



Quail ; a fairly common but casual summer visitor to tlie 

 west of the county, occasionally breeding there ; unusually 

 abundant in 1870, in 1892 and in 1893 when nests and young 

 birds were fairly numerous ; two nests found near Fahnouth in 

 1899 ; flocks occasionally touch at Scilly in autumn; a regular 

 summer migrant throughout the greater part of England, 

 arriving in May and leaving in October, but remaining in small 

 numbers during mild winters ; breeds locally over the greater 

 part of Europe ; in winter many reach Madagascar, Mauritius 

 and the extreme South of Africa. 



Landrail ; a summer migrant, not uncommon but somewhat 

 local ; arrives about the beginning of May, earliest county record 

 April 24th; an autumn migrant in Scilly ; breeds throughout the 

 greater part of Europe, north of the Alps and Pyrenees ; in 

 winter wanders as far south as Natal and the Cape. 



Spotted Crake ; a regular winter visitor to the snipe 

 marshes throughout the county, most frequent in September ; has 

 twice occurred in Scilly ; generally overlooked on account of its 

 skulking habit and small size ; a regular summer migrant to 

 England, breeding sparingly and very locally ; nests abundantly 

 in central and north central Europe ; winters in northern Africa. 



Little Crake ; a casual visitor from its breeding quarters in 

 south central Europe ; winters in equatorial Africa ; a single 

 specimen recorded for the county, captured by a cat at St. 

 Dominic, in March 1878. 



Baillon's Crake ; a casual visitor recorded at least four 

 times in the west of the county, namely from Penzance, from 

 Zennor, from Land's End in 1856, and from Marazion marshes 

 in 1877, but doubtlessly often overlooked as it is extremely 

 difficult to flush and only weighs two ounces ; nests locally from 

 Holland southwards ; widely diffused in Africa at all seasons. 



Water Rail ; not an uncommon resident in marshy land, 

 watercourses and bramble covered ditches, but of very shy 

 retiring habits ; has bred in recent years near Stratton, on the 

 Bodmin Moors, in Bishop's "Wood, Truro, and near St. Erth ; 

 common at Scilly in autumn and winter, but does not breed here. 



Moor Hen ; resident, common and generally distributed on 

 marshy land, reed beds and ditches ; breeds in Scilly ; nests in 

 numbers from the Baltic to northern Africa. 



