112 RALLID.E. 



GRA LLA TORES. RA LL I DM 



PLATE CCVII. 



WATER RAIL. 



RALLUS AQUATICUS. 



The Water Rail is a British bird well-known to persons 

 who are either fond of snipe-shooting or angling, as it fre- 

 quents most of our low and marshy districts near rivers, 

 ponds, ditches, and swamps, and it is also widely distributed 

 over Europe, Asia, and the northern parts of Africa. There 

 are several notices of this bird having been met with singly 

 and also in flocks on the Atlantic Ocean ; and like some of our 

 warblers that remain with us the whole year, yet increase in 

 numbers during certain parts of the year, the present species 

 is more abundant with us during the spring and autumn than 

 at other times. 



The specimen from which our drawing was made, was taken 

 near Esher, in a very singular manner ; a woman put her 

 hand in her hen-house for the purpose of taking hens' eggs 

 out of a nest, and the bird in question took hold of her fin- 

 ger ; she drew it consequently out of the nest and brought 

 it to us for sale ; as the weather was very inclement this 

 bird must have run in there probably for shelter or food ; 

 we kept it caged for several years, and, although it seemed 

 happy enough, we could not tame it or make it come to 



