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On the British Rails.



one’s fingers within a few hours of being captured, especially if

the “tit bit” be a nice “wriggly” mealworm.


Like most of its genus, the Water Rail is not often seen by

the unobservant eye, even in places where it is known to be

plentiful. On Saturday, July iStli, I was going through Kent

in the early morning hours, visiting my family who were staying

at Deal, and I noticed as the train sped through the county that,

in nearly every field in the immediate proximity of water, there

were two or more Water Rails feeding; in one meadow I counted

seven rooting about with their beaks in search of food, within

twenty yards of the railway track along which the train was

passing; in fact, not only were Rails plentiful, but bird-life

generally was well represented.


Apropos of the feeding of Rails and with reference to the

soft foods on which the Crakes were fed, concerning which I

wrote last month, my friend Mr. Frank Finn, whose knowledge

of avian life, and especially the wading and natatory birds, is

encyclopaedic, tells me that he has noticed that the short-beaked

rails, like the Crake, are to a certain extent seed-eaters, and not

nearly so entirely insectivorous feeders as the long bills, like the

species now under consideration. This is a point I had not

noticed, and as there is plenty of undergrowth and herbage in

the aviary, it is quite likely^ that the Crakes have been taking

advantage of the seed pods and heads of the various grasses and

plants which were growing there without myself being any the

wiser.


All the Water Rails in the enclosure were caught when

adult birds and have never shown the slightest disposition to

nest. Two of them were caught one winter; the}’’ had been

noticed day after day coming into the farm yard where the warm

chicken food was put out and sharing the contents of the dish

with the fowls. One day a carter was bringing a waggon and

team into the yard and he noticed two rails run off and hide

behind a pile of brushwood ; he left his team and found the two

birds crouched down trying to conceal themselves as they had

got into a cul-de-sac between the brushwood and one side of an

outbuilding. He said they made no attempt to fly away, and all

he had to do was to pick them up in his hands and take them



