( J2 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



as a locality).* * Mr. T. M. Spalding has taken its eggs in the 

 Blythburgh fen ; Westleton, nests, rare (F. Spalding MS.)-' My 

 brother, Mr. A. M. Rope, and I had the good fortune to find a 

 nest on May 28th, 1872, in a large bed of reeds (since drained) 

 close to the Minsmere sluice, near Leiston. The old bird was on 

 the nest at the time, but slipped off directly. She seemed to be 

 at the point of hatching ; the nest containing six chicks, one of 

 which was dead, and three eggs. The young ones scrambled out, 

 and squatted about singly round the nest. After watching un- 

 successfully for some time near by, in the hope of again catching 

 a glimpse of the old bird, we looked a second time into the nest, 

 and found the chicks had all five climbed in again. They were 

 covered with blackish down, except on the top of the head, which 

 was bare. The colouring and markings of the beak were very 

 beautiful — a combination of black, pearly white, and coral-red. 

 The nest was like that of a Waterhen, and was well raised above 

 the wet swampy ground by its own thickness It was composed 

 almost entirely of sedges, and admirably hidden, having been 

 built under cover of a mass of dead sedges, &c, which rested 

 lightly upon the growing herbage, having probably floated there 

 during the winter floods. One of the eggs, with a coloured 

 drawing of the dead chick, was sent to the Editor of ' The 

 Field.' A Spotted Crake was killed in the same bed of reeds on 

 Sept. 18th, 1873 ; another in October, 1878. Two were flushed 

 there in November, 1879, one of which was shot ; and another 

 obtained Sept. 29th, 1881. Among the reeds, bulrushes, &c, 

 which fringe the River Aide, between Snape and Langham 

 bridges, this interesting little bird is not uncommon, though, 

 from the nature of its habits, one does not often get a sight of it. 

 I occasionally see one cross the river from one reed-bed to another. 

 On the wing it is readily distinguishable from the Water Rail by 

 its comparatively short beak. As far as I am aware, no instance 

 has been recorded of its occurrence in Suffolk during January or 

 February ; the month of March being the earliest date cited by 

 Dr Babington : in fact, its habits as regards this particular 



* This of course refers to many years ago, the Catalogue in two parts 

 having been read before the Linnean Society in April, 1824, and in May, 

 ]K'25, and published two years later in vol. xv. of the 'Transactions' of 

 that Society. 



