Oafs II. WATER RAIL. 385 



Genus VI. The RAIL. 



1. The WATER RAIL. Tab. 9 . 



Le Rafle noir. Belonav. 112. Rallus aquatieus. Lin. fyfi. 262. 



Gallina cinerea ( afhhunlin. ) Faun. Susc./p. 195. 



Gefner a<v. 515. Rallus aquatieus, le Rafle cl'Eau. 



Ralla aquatica. Aldr. av. iii. Briffon av. v. 151. tab. 12. 



179. fig. 2. 



Water-rail, Bilcock, or Brook Nowegis Vand-Rixe Feroenfibus 



Ouzel. Wil.orn,$i±. Jord-Koene. Brunnicb 103. 



Raiifyn. a<v. 113. Br. Zoo!. 130- 

 Waffer hennl. Kram. 348. 



H E water rail is a bird of a long {lender body, 

 with fliort concave wings. It delights lefc in. 

 flying than running; which it does very fwiftly a!ong 

 the edges of brooks covered with bufhes : as it runs, 

 every now and then flirts up its tail ; and in flying 

 hangs down its legs : actions it has in common with 

 the water hen. 



Its weight is four ounces and a half. The length D e f C r„ 

 to the end of the tail twelve inches : the breadth fix- 

 teen. The bill is {lender, {lightly incurvated, one 

 inch three-quarters long : the upper mandible black, 

 edged with red •, the lower orange colored : the hides 

 red: the head, hind part of the neck, the back, and 

 coverts of the wings and tail are black, edged with an 

 olive brown •, the bafeof the wing is white : the throat, 

 breaft, and upper part of the belly are afh-cojored : 

 the fides under the wings finely varied with black and 

 white bars. The tail is very fliort, confifts of twelve 

 black feathers j the ends of the two middle tipt with 



Bb 4 ruft- 



