CRAKES. 



251 



accidentally into the open space would have discovered my presence im- 

 mediately ; yet the birds have entered and finished their performance with- 

 out seeing me, so carried away are tliey by the emotion that possesses them 

 during these moments. But no sooner has the wild chorus ended than, 

 aware of my presence, they have fled precipitately into the reeds. " 



These are rails with a stout bill, the culmen being shorter than the middle 

 - toe and claw. They may be divided into two sections, distinguished by the 

 presence or absence of a bare frontal shield. Those which 

 possess the latter characters are the nioor-hens. Tlie Crates. — 



Among the largest of the crakes are the weka rails of New Sub-Family 

 Zealand (OcydrQmus), of which there are three species. These Crecina;. 



birds are remarkable for their pugnacious disposition, and 

 also for the tameness with which they will wander from their homes in the 

 bush, even entering camps and houses. They are heavy-bodied birds, with 

 feeble wings, which are insufficient ta carry them through the air, and they 

 are consequently incapable of flight. Like their distant relative, the Apteryx, 

 they serve themselves by running only, and are also protected by their 

 crepuscular habits, being more lively at night than in the day, and calling 

 throughout the dark hours. These birds evince a curious antipathy to any- 

 thing of a red colour, and this is the more interesting as remains of extinct 

 forms of weka rails have been found in the Mascarene Islands, one of which 

 is known as Erythromachus, "the fighter of red." The former distribution 

 of forms of flightless rails in New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, almost, 

 if not absolutely, identical with each other, has given rise to some very in- 

 teresting speculations as to whether there was an ancient continuation af 

 land area between these two portions of the globe. Certainly the discovery 

 of the remains of an extinct genus, Aphaiuqjtenjx, in Mauritius and in the 

 Chatham Islands, is very remarkable. 



Of these, the most typical form is our corn-crake or land- rail {Orex crex), 

 whose harsh voice is heard in the hay-fields during the summer, often far into 

 the night. Like all of its kind, the corn-crake loves seclu- 

 sion, and is seldom seen on the wing, except during the Tlie Smaller 

 shooting season, when the birds are driven up by the dogs. Crakes. 



Even then they only take short flights, and drop into cover 

 again. Everything points to the wing-power of the corn-crake being of the 

 feeblest description and yet we know that it must be a bird cajjable of cover- 

 ing considerable distances, as it reaches South Africa on its winter migration. 

 The little crake (Zapomia parva), the spotted crake (Porzana 2Jor::ana), and 

 Baillon's crake {Fot'zana mtermedici ), are all species which visit England, and 

 the genus PorzMm may be said to be cosmopolitan in its range. In the 

 Sandwich Islands were found two curious flightless crakes of small size, 

 Pennula ecaudata and F. saudivichcnsis, and in the island of Kushai also lived 

 till recently a small black crake {AphaiioUmnas monasa). All these interest- 

 ing little birds are now believed to be extinct, and as they could not fly, they 

 were doubtless exterminated by cats and rats. In the island of Laysan in 

 the Pacific, however, there still exists one of these curious little crakes, 

 ForzaiLula pcdmeri. 



Numerous genera of small crakes are known, of which space does not per- 

 mit us to give a detailed description ; but the distribution of the white- 

 winged crakes (Ortyrjops) is deserving of special mention. There are four 

 species, each of which is peculiar for having some white quills, which are 

 very conspicuous when the bird flies. The distribution of the four species is 



