THE



219



Hvtcultural fllbagasme,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



New Series — VOL. VI. — NO. 8 .—rights reserved.



JUNE, 1908.



ABBOTT’S RAIL.


Rallus abbotti.


By E. G. B. Meade-Waldo.


The subject of this picture was taken on March 12th,

1906, on Assumption Island, South Indian Ocean. We landed

on this island, which is situated about 300 miles N.W. of Mada¬

gascar, about 10 a.m., and after passing over the beach of white

coral sand on which many huge edible turtles were wandering

about, we entered the edge of the scrub and were immediately

greeted by squeals and grunts—a voice strongly resembling that

of our own Water Rails,—and presently several of these White-

throated Rails appeared round us, craning their necks and com¬

ing quite close. I picked up one in a butterfly net, which is the

individual figured.


During the two days spent on this island we saw numbers

of these rails, which are evidently very common. They were

not easy to catch, not owing to being wild, but owing to the

extremely thick scrub which they frequented and in which they

climbed about freely. We also saw broods of black young ones.

Assumption Island is uninhabited ; it is some four miles long,

about two miles in width, and the shape of a bean with the

hollow to the South. It has a fringe of very thick scrub all

along the leeward side, and the rest of the island is covered with

grass, bushes, and some scattered trees, mostly Hibiscus. The

island is of ancient coral formation and, with the exception of

some sand-hills about 60 feet high, only slightly raised above

high water mark.


The two rails we caught were easily kept: they would



