540 BRITISH BIRDS. 



CREX PORZANA. 

 SPOTTED CRAKE. 



(Plate 23.) 



Rallus aquaticus minor, I „ . _ -,^r- ^i^nn^ 



T, „ ^ > Briss. Orn. v. p. 155 (1760). 



Balms maruetta, J r \ / 



Rallus porzana, Linn. Syat. Nat. i. p. 262 (1766) ; et auctorum plurimorum — 

 (Latham), {TemmirwK), {Idchtenstem), (Naumann), (Gould), (Yarrell), (Macgil- 

 Kvray), &c. 



Rallus fulicula, Scop. Ann. I. Hist. Nat. p. 108 (1769). 



GaUinula ochra, Oerini, Orn. Meth. Big. v. p. 2, pi. 484 (1776). 



Gallinula porzana (lAnn.), Lath. Gen. Syn. Sappl. i. p. 293 (1787). 



Ortygometra maruetta (Briss.), Leach, Syst. Cat. Mamm. Sfc. Brit. Mus. p. 34 (1816). 



Octogometra maruetta (Briss.), Forster, Syn. Cat. Brit. B. p. 27 (1817). 



Crex porzana (Linn.), Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 80 (1823). 



Ortygometra porzana (Linn.), Steph. Shaw's Gen. Zool. lii. pt. i. p. 223 (1824). 



Zapornia porzana (Linn.), Gould, B. Eur, p. 343, pi. 343 (1837). 



Porzana maruetta (Briss.), Bonap. Cat. Metod. Uec. Eur. p. 64 (1842). 



Ortygometra araMca, Licht. Nomemel. .^4^)..p. 96 (1854). 



The Spotted Crake is generally distributed throughout the British 

 Islands wherever swamps and marshes are to be founds but it is much 

 more local than the Water-Rail and nowhere so abundant. It is fotmd on 

 both the Orkney and the Shetland Islands^ but has not been recorded from 

 the Outer Hebrides. It is principally known as a summer migrant, but 

 has been met with in most districts during the winter months. 



The geographical distribution of the Spotted Crake is very similar to 

 that of the western form of the Water -Rail. It has been twice obtained in 

 Greenland, but is not known to have occurred either in Iceland or the 

 Faroes. It is a summer visitor to Scandinavia up to lat. 65°, and in West 

 Russia up to lat. 64°. In the Ural Mountains it is not known to have 

 occurred farther north than lat. 58°, or in West Siberia than lat. 55°. It 

 is a summer visitor to Turkestan, at least as far east as Yarkand. Pallas 

 records it from Eastern Siberia, but no recent traveller has met with it in 

 that country. It has been recorded from the Canaries. It is a resident 

 in the basin of the Mediterranean ; but is only a summer visitor to 

 Northern and Central Europe; and it is doubtful whether it breeds in 

 Egypt. To South Russia and the Caucasus it is a spring migrant, but it 

 appears to be a partial resident in Persia. A few pairs breed at Gilgit, 

 where it is principally known as passing through on migration to winter 

 throughout India, and it has been known to occur at that season in Burma. 



The Spotted Crake has probably no nearer ally than the Carolina Crake 



