OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 75 



Habits. — Baillon's Crake differs but little from its allies in its habits and 

 economy and in the localities it frequents. It haunts the dense aquatic vegetation on 

 the banks of pools, and is a dweller in marshes and fens. Like all its kmdred, it is 

 remarkably shy and retiring in its habits, keeping well concealed amongst the vege- 

 tation during most of the day-time, venturing out a short distance from cover during 

 the hours of dusk and darkness. It swims to and fro in the secluded reed-fringed 

 pools, now in and out amongst the rushes and water-flags, then out into the more 

 open water, where, if it be surprised, it dives with remarkable swiftness, and under 

 water hurries to the shelter of the reeds. It is only flushed with the greatest diffi- 

 culty, and then flies in a slow, laboured manner with legs drooping, and drops 

 into the nearest cover as soon as possible. Even when hard pressed by enemies on 

 land it always seeks to evade them by running only, using its wings as a last resource. 

 The call-note of Baillon's Crake is a shrill but not very loud hik-ik-ik. The food 

 of this species consists principally of insects and their larvae, small snails, and scraps 

 of vegetable substances. It is said that this Crake frequently catches insects as 

 they flit by whilst it floats upon the water, but whether it ever dives for food is not 

 known. Baillon's Crake sometimes flies round and round above its haunt at night, 

 from time to time uttering its shrill note, just as the "Water Hen is wont to do. 



Nidification. — There can be little doubt that some nests of Baillon's Crake 

 have been overlooked in the British Islands, where it is more than probable 

 it still continues to breed. When we bear in mind its remarkable skulking 

 habits, the nature of the haunts it frequents, and its small size, we cease to 

 wonder how much it is overlooked. In Europe the breeding season of Baillon's 

 Crake appears to begin about the middle of May, and the eggs are laid towards 

 the end of that month or early in June. In India, however, it breeds much later, 

 laying in June and July in Cashmere, and in July and August on the plains of 

 Upper India. In Europe its nest is placed amongst the reeds and sedges, often a 

 floating structure like the Coot's ; but in India the rice swamps are its favourite 

 breeding places. The nest is made of bits of aquatic vegetation, loosely yet strongly 

 put together, and rather large for the size of the bird. Hume states that in India 

 the nests are made of rush and weed, and are placed amongst rushes and water- 

 grass very little above the level of the water. The eggs are from five to eight 

 in number, pale olive or rich buff in ground-colour, indistinctly mottled, blotched, 

 and freckled with olive-brown and grey. They measure on an average 1"1 inch in 

 length by '8 inch in breadth. Incubation lasts about three weeks. The female 

 is a close sitter, and leaves her nest quietly when disturbed. 



Diagnostic cliaracters — Crex, with the secondaries shorter than the 

 primaries by not as much as the length of the inner toe and claw, with no white 

 spots on the sides of the throat and the breast, with the ear coverts bluish-grey 

 or ashy-grey, with the under tail coverts and flanks black barred with white, and 

 with a white margin to the outer web of the first primary. Length, 7 inches. 



