23« THE WATER RAIL 



THE LITTLE CRAKE 



PORZANA PARVA 



Head brown ; upper plumage olive-ash, the feathers black in the centre ; 

 middle of the back black, sprinkled with white ; throat, face, and breast, 

 bluish grey, without spots ; abdomen and flanks indistinctly barred with 

 white and brown ; wings without spots, reaching to the extremity of 

 the tail ; bill green, reddish at the base ; irides red ; feet green. Length 

 seven and a half inches. Eggs yellowish, spotted with olive-brown. 



This species appears to be generally diffused throughout the 

 eastern and southern countries of Europe, but is very rare in 

 England, coming now and again from spring to autumn. It is 

 a shy bird, like the last species, confining itself exclusively to 

 reedy marshes, and buUding its nest close to the water's edge. It 

 lays seven or eight eggs. 



THE WATER RAIL 



RALLUS AQuAtICUS 



Upper feathers reddish brown, with black centres ; under plumage in front 

 lead-colour, behind and on the flanks barred with black and white ; bill 

 red, tinged with red above and at the tip ; irides red ; feet flesh-colour. 

 Length ten inches. Eggs yellowish, spotted with ash-grey and red-brown 



The Water Rail is a generally diffused bird, but nowhere very 

 common, haunting bushy and reedy places near the banks of rivers 

 and lakes, and especially the Norfolk Broads, where it feeds on 

 aquatic insects, worms, and snails. Like the Crakes, it makes 

 more use of its legs than of its wings, and places its safety in con- 

 cealment. Rarely does it take flight, and then only when closely 

 hunted ; stiU more rarely does it expose itself outside its aquatic 

 jungle. I recollect on one occasion, during an intense frost, when 

 every marsh was as impenetrable to a bird's bUl as a sheet of 

 marble, passing in a carriage near a stream which, having just 

 issued from its source, was unfrozen ; I then saw more than one 

 Water Rail hunting for food among the short rushes and grass 

 on the water's edge. Its mode of walking I thought was very 

 like that of the Moor-hen, but it had not the jerking movement 

 of body characteristic of that bird, which alone would have sufficed 

 to distinguish it, even if I had not been near enough to detect the 

 difference of colour. Either the severity of the weather had 

 sharpened its appetite, and made it less shy than usual, or it had 

 not learnt to fear a horse and carriage, for it took no notice of 

 the intrusion on its privacy, but went on with its search without 

 condescending to look up. The Water Rail, then, unlike the 

 Com Crake, remains with us aU the winter. When forced to rise, 

 this bird flies heavily straight forwards, at no great elevation above 

 the rushes, with its legs hanging loose, and drops into the nearest 



