that bird. The nests that we found were always well 
concealed amongst the dense masses of reeds and sedge 
that fringe and often conceal the runs of fresh water 
that meander through the vast open “ marisma,’—a 
district that im rainy seasons or very high tides is 
frequently entirely submerged. The nests that I 
examined were exact miniature copies of those of the 
common Water-Hen, being loosely composed of reed- 
leaves, flags, and sedge. ‘The usual full complement of 
eggs was seven; but we occasionally met with five or 
SIX partially “set,” and, in once instance, with eight. 
These eges vary in colour from a very pale green to 
a dark olive ground, but are always very closely 
streaked and spotted with brown. The young birds 
on leaving the egg are entirely clad with thick jet-black 
down. ‘Towards evening these birds come out for a 
short distance from the thick covert that they love so 
well, and, as far as I could make out, feed largely upon 
mosquitos and other small insects; but on the slightest 
alarm they glide back at marvellous speed to the safety 
of the jungle. 
I do not know any bird that is so difficult to flush 
as this; the most close hunting-dogs are frequently 
entirely baffled, and this species pre-eminently merits the 
nickname of “ Mataperros,” = Kall-dogs, applied to it 
and the other species of the family by the Spanish 
marsh-men. The only remains of food that I could 
find in these Crakes by post-mortem examination con- 
sisted of small insects and fragments of minute shells ; 
but I must admit that I never examined them under a 
microscope. ‘This species swims easily and readily, 
