512 LITTLE CRAKE, 
land. It nests, somewhat sparingly, from Holstein eastward, and 
along the southern side of the Baltic as far as Livonia, as well as in 
Central Russia; more abundantly in Poland, Southern Germany, 
Austro-Hungary, Central France, Savoy and the Rhone valley, and 
also in Italy down to Sicily ; but is as yet only known on passage 
in the rest of the Mediterranean and in Spain. It is, however, said 
to be resident in Algeria, and it has been obtained in Tunisia, 
while it winters in Equatorial Africa, and wanders to the Canaries. 
In the Caspian district it is common in summer; and eastward it 
can be traced through Persia and Turkestan as far as Gilgit, while it 
occurs on the lakes of Sind in winter. 
A nest found in the Obrez marsh in Slavonia on May 24th 1883, 
is described by Mr, W. Eagle Clarke as a depression in the side of 
a hummock of sedge about six inches above the water, amply lined 
with short broad pieces of reed-blade, and containing 7 eggs. The 
colour of these is pale olive flecked with dull brown; their shape 
is oval, and their dimensions somewhat exceed those of Baillon’s 
Crake, being 1°1 by ‘85 in. A newly-hatched chick, to which Mr. 
Clarke’s attention was drawn by the loud clear note of the old bird 
on May 26th, was “glossy black with a beautiful dark greenish 
cast, and had bluish-grey legs.” The note is a defiant £22, Rik, Rik. 
In food and general habits this species resembles its congeners, but 
Mr. Hume says that it is rather more insectivorous. He never 
flushed it from sedge or reed, but found it running over or swim- 
ming among the leaves of the lotus and water-lily, while he several 
times saw it diving, apparently in search of food. 
The adult male has the beak green, red at the base; irides red ; 
centre of crown and hind neck, and the upper surface generally olive- 
brown ; back with broad black streaks, and a few small white marks, 
none of which are on the wings; primaries clove-brown on both 
webs (without any white outer margin to the first as there is in 
P. bailloni) ; inner secondaries dark brown in the centre, with broad 
olivaceous edges ; tail-feathers with dark brown centres; forehead, 
sides of the head, front of neck, breast and belly slate-grey ; thighs 
and vent spotted and under tail-coverts barred with white ; legs and 
toes green. Length 8 in.; wing 4:2in. The female is smaller, and 
differs in having lores and streak above the eye grey ; crown, nape 
and sides of the neck pale brown; chin white ; front of neck, breast 
and belly tawny buff-colour ; flanks and under tail-coverts greyish, 
with narrow white bars. The young are still paler on the under 
parts, and more streaked on the flanks. 
