262 



European bird, and not Rallus japonicus. It does not appear to have been observed by Von 

 Middendorff or Von Schrenck ; but Dr. Radde obtained one through Mr. Maack from the mouth 

 of the Ussuriin 1860. 



In habits the present species differs greatly from the Land-Rail, and much more closely 

 resembles the Aquatic Crakes; for it is a frequenter of wet, swampy localities where there is 

 plenty of cover, frequently in the vicinity of woods, or in marshy places surrounded by trees, in 

 wet, over-grown ditches, but seldom on open sheets of water, and never in dry localities or in 

 open places, except by accident. Like the Spotted Crake and its allies it is a very shy, unob- 

 trusive bird, shunning observation as much as possible, and always keeping to the dense vegetable 

 growth in the marshy localities it frequents. It swims with ease and grace, and hence never 

 shuns the deep water where it cannot wade. When on the water it resembles the Water-Hen ; 

 for it elevates its tail and jerks its head as it paddles along. Sometimes when closely pursued it 

 will even seek safety by diving ; but this probably but seldom occurs. Its flight is laboured and 

 heavy, and it seldom flies far, but rises and flaps along as if with difficulty, with its long legs 

 hanging down, and soon seeks shelter again amongst the reeds and aquatic herbage. Naumann 

 states that it will occasionally perch on a low bough of a tree ; but I have never personally seen 

 it do this. It has a rather loud, clear cry, resembling the syllable creek, which it seems to utter 

 when on the wing, especially during the season of passage ; and, besides this, the bird often calls 

 his mate with a sharp whistle resembling the sound produced by drawing a switch quickly 

 through the air. 



The Water-Rail is a very unsociable bird, and is seldom found otherwise than singly or in 

 pairs, even on passage. It feeds on worms and small aquatic insects of various kinds, and 

 especially on small snails, only when compelled by hunger resorting to vegetable diet. In a 

 specimen obtained in Norway on the 13th of October 1875, Mr. Collett found numbers of small 

 insects, chiefly coleoptera, amongst which were a small species of Hyphydrus, a large larva, 

 several small Phryganea-\a,ryse, several Aranece, some coarse gravel, and a few seeds of an aquatic 

 plant. 



It breeds in damp, swampy localities, and conceals its nest with great care. This latter, 

 which resembles that of the small Crakes, is placed above the water or marsh, and is constructed 

 on the bent leaves or stems of sedge or rushes, but seldom resting on the ground itself. It is a 

 loosely made structure formed of dried leaves of aquatic plants, tolerably large, and contains 

 eight or ten, and sometimes even more eggs ; and the young birds are able to leave the nest soon 

 after they are hatched, and, like those of the Land-Rail, are very expert in hiding when disturbed 

 and danger threatens. Colonel Irby, who has taken the eggs of the Water-Rail in Spain, writes 

 (I. c.) : — " They build in rushes or sedges, laying about the 20th of April. On the 13th of May 

 we found two nests, from each of which Mr. Stark succeeded in snaring one of the old birds ; these 

 nests, built entirely of dry sedge and lined with a few bits of dry grass, were just raised above 

 the water, and measured 6 inches in height, depth, and diameter ; the hollow of the nest was 

 4^ inches across by 2\ deep. Each nest contained seven eggs much incubated — one lot being of 

 the usual type, the other resembling more those of the Spotted Crake, or, rather, looking like 

 miniature Water-Hen's eggs with larger blotches than usual." 



Eggs of the Water-Rail in my collection are pale whitish stone-buff in ground-colour, 



