baillon's crake or rail. 321 



positive statement can be offered on the subject. They are 

 perhaps about equally plentiful as in England and Scotland.* 



The spotted rail appears to be scarce everywhere ; its distribu- 

 tion is much the same as that of the land-rail; extending in 

 summer as far north in Europe as Scandinavia. It winters in 

 the north of Africa, &c. 



BAILLON'S CEAKE OR RAIL. 



Crex Bailloni, Vieill. (sp.) 

 Rallus „ „ 



Gallinula „ Temm. 



Has been once obtained ; 



According to Dr. Harvey, of Cork, on whose authority I re- 

 corded it in the 'Annals of Natural History' for September 

 1847 (vol. xx. p. 169). The specimen was procured in a bog 

 at Clay Castle, near Youghal, on October 30, 1845, where a 

 spotted rail had been shot in October 1843, and another has 

 been killed since. The fact of this bird's appearance in the 

 same locality suggests the question, Could its young have been 

 mistaken for C. Bailloni ? but the individual in question is 

 considered to be undoubtedly the latter, by two acute ornitholo- 

 gists. The one, Mr. R. Davis, jun., of Clonmel, judged, indeed, 

 only from the description supplied by its possessor (Mr. S. Moss, 

 of Youghal), but that was considered sufficient for him to an- 

 nounce the species to me as certain. The specimen was kindly 

 sent to Cork for Dr. Harvey's examination, but being in a 

 closed glass case he was unable to take the measurements. t 

 He remarks : — " Along with it, however, was a spotted crake 

 for comparison, about half the size of which the other appeared 



* A sporting friend shot a spotted rail some years ago in the autumn on his moor, 

 near Ballantrae, Ayrshire. 



t Mr. Moss, who preserved it, noted the length as 7 inches ; wings expanded 10^ 

 inches ; weight 1 ounce. 



VOL. II. Y 



