THE LAND-RAIL. 311 



having seen many on sale in Tralee during the last two weeks of 

 October and first week of November 1848. 



The Tringa canntus may be considered fully as plentiful, if not 

 more so, on the shores of Ireland as on those of Scotland or 

 England, though indeed very little data are supplied respecting 

 its distribution in the two latter countries. Mr. Selby gives 

 an interesting account of this bird from Iris own observation on 

 the Northumbrian coast, which also is the only locality named by 

 Sir AYm. Jardine, in connexion with his own observation upon it. 



The knot is common to the temperate and (in summer) to the 

 arctic portions both of Europe and North America. 



THE LAND-RAIL.* 



Corncrake. 

 Crex pratensis, Bechst. 

 Rallus crex, Linn. 



Is a common summer bird in Ireland. 



Owing to the more humid climate and the general prevalence of 

 meadow-land, it is more equally distributed over this island than 

 Great Britain. The land-rail generally appears in the neighbour- 

 hood of Belfast as early as we are told it does in the southern 

 counties of England; — within "the last ten days of April ;t" 

 and consequently earlier than in the northern parts of that country, 

 where its arrival is said to occur in " the second week of May." J 

 It was seen or heard there on the 12th of April in 1849 (a single 

 bird only and no more for some time afterwards) ; on the 20th in 

 1832 ; on the 21st in 1833 ; on the 22nd in 1 845 and 1848 ; on the 

 24th in 1840 ; and on the 25th in 1844. About Carrickfergus, the 

 corncrake has been noticed earlier. In M'Skimmin's history of 



* Leigh, in his ' Natural History of Lancashire/ informs us that " the rale is 

 a bird about the bigness of a partridge, and is common in these parts ; it hides 

 itself in the grass, and is discovered by the snarling noise that it continually makes ; 

 it is very excellent food, and doubtless of extraordinary nutriment." — P. 162. 



f Yarrell, ' Brit. Birds.' 



+ Ibid. Mr. Selby remarks : — In the north of England " it is seldom observed 

 before the beginning of May," vol. ii. p. 177. 



