OLIVACEOUS CRAKE. 127 



bles the rest of its family. Towards the evening one may 

 Q-et sight of this bird when it comes running' out of a bed of 

 reeds, in order to surprise some nocturnal insect, which it 

 pursues into open ground. The present species has a very 

 great peculiarity that belongs solely to itself, namely, its 

 curiosity ; if a person who is acquainted with the habits of 

 the bird very carefully approaches the spot where an in- 

 dividual is known to be, it may be seen to come to an edge 

 of the swamp and utter its piping call-note, as it were in 

 astonishment at what it sees. 



The dimensions of the Olivaceous Crake are taken from 

 a specimen in the British Museum, from which our drawing- 

 was made for the quarto edition ; it is an adult female. 



The entire length is seven inches ; the wing, from the 

 carpus to the tip, is four inches and one eighth ; naked part 

 of the tibia, three lines and a half; the tarsus, one inch three 

 lines ; the middle toe, including the claw, one inch five 

 lines. 



The beak of the adult male is green, with the base flesh 

 red ; the legs and feet are green, with an olive tint ; the 

 eyes, red. The top of the head, neck, back, and all the 

 upper parts brown, with a golden yellow tint ; the middle of 

 the back black, with some white streaks and spots ; the 

 quill-feathers are dusky brown ; the tertials have the centres 

 of the feathers black, and their edges oil-green ; upper tail- 

 coverts and tail dusky brown ; the chin is pearl-white ; the 

 sides of the head, front, and sides of the neck, breast, and 

 belly, slate colour ; the sides of the body under the wings, 

 brown ; thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts, slate colour, 

 spotted with white. 



The female has the regions of the eyes pale ash-colour ; 

 top of the head, sides and back of the neck pale brown ; 

 middle of the back black, with sparing white marks ; sea- 



