318 BIRDS OP DAMABA LAND. 



herbage at the first convenient spot, from whence, if 

 needful, it prolongs its retreat by running. 



This Crake constructs its nest of pieces of stalks of 

 reeds, rushes, and other vegetable substances. The eggs 

 are six or seven in number, of a brownish-buif or olive- 

 brown colour, closely spotted with obscure markings of 

 a darker hue, and are rather larger than the eggs of 

 the Starling. 



The flesh of this species is very tender and delicate. 



The irides are of a dull yellowish brown, but in one 

 of my specimens were of a yellowish red ; the bill is 

 green, darkest on the ridge of the upper mandible ; the 

 legs and feet are dusky green. 



Measurements of a male : — 



in. lin. 



Entire length 6 10 



Length of folded wing 3 1 



„ tarsus .... .18 



„ middle toe . . . 14 



„ taU 19 



„ bill 10 



[Mr. Layard has been so good as to inform me that this is 

 the same species as was included by him in his ' Catologue of the 

 Birds of South Africa' [loc. cit.), under the erroneous name of 

 Ortygometra minuta. — Ed.J 



372. Ortygometra marginalis (Haiti.). OUve-margined Crake. 



Porzana marginalis, Hartlaub's Orn. West-Afrika's, No. 685. 

 „ „ Taczanowski, in Joum. fiir Orn. 1870, p. 54. 



Ondonga, February 6, 1867. — A single specimen was 

 brought to me by an Ovampo yesterday ; I cannot re- 

 member to have seen it before. 



