54 



ORD.I. GENUS X. GALLINULE. 



Bill, thick at the bafe, Hoping to the point : the upper mandible reaching 

 far up the forehead, where it becomes membranaceous. 

 Body, compreffed. 

 Wings, fhort and concave. 

 Toes, long, divided to their origin. 

 Tail, fhort. 



SPECIES I. CRAKE GALLINULE. 



PL 191. 



Rallus Crex. Lin.Syft. I. p. 261. 



Le Rale de genet, ou Roi de cailles. Brif. Orn. V. p. 159. 



This bird is about nine inches and a half in length, and weighs fometimes as 

 much as eight ounces. The bill is greyifh brown : eyes, hazel : the feathers 

 on the upper part, pale reddifh brown, marked down the middle with black : 

 from the bill an allien grey ftroke runs under the eye, and down the fide of the 

 neck : the neck, and breaft, the fame colour, running into a reddifh yellow on 

 the fides : the under parts of the body, white, crofTed with dark brown and 

 ruft-coloured ftreaks on the fides, and the long under tail coverts : the wing 

 coverts, reddifh brown, with a few white fpots : the quill feathers, deeper 

 brown : the tail, pointed, and coloured as the back : the legs, brown. 



The fexes, we believe, do not differ in outward appearance. 



The crake gallinule, or land rail, is not uncommon in fome parts of Eng- 

 land, though in others it is fcarcely known. It is called by fome the king of 

 the quails, becaufe found where quails are mod plentiful. When difturbed it 

 makes a noife refembling the word crek, frequently repeated ; whence it has 

 obtained the name of corn-crek, or corn-crake, efpecially in Ireland, where it 

 is moft abundant. It lays ten or twelve eggs, on a bed of mofs or dry bents, 

 among thick grafs. The egg is reprefented in PI. XLI. Fig. 3. 



