THE EUROPEAN LAND-RAIL OR CORN-CRAKE,. 
By T. O. RusseLt. 
_ Next to the cuckoo the land-rail is probably 
the most curious of the birds of Europe. 
There is not so much mystery about it as there 
is about the cuckoo, but there is quite enough: 
to make the study of its habits intensely inter- 
esting. 
The land-rail is the Ro//us crex of Linnzus. 
The family to which it belongs does not seem 
to be very numerous, and I do not know if any 
bird that can be classed as belonging to the 
same family is found on this continent, or if the 
land-rail of the British Isles is known on the 
continent of Europe. 
er 
The rail, or corn-crake, is a most awkward- 
“HE LAND-RAIL 
looking bird. The length of its neck and of its 
legs is out of all proportion to the length ot its 
tail, which appendage, supposing it to consist 
entirely of feathers, can hardly be said to exist in 
the ‘‘get up” of this curious, ill-shaped and 
stumpy-bodied bird. Its plumage is a dull 
brown of almost uniform tinge. Its size is 
somewhat larger than that of our American 
robin, but, owing to its unusual length of leg, 
it looks much bigger. Everything about the 
land-rail is displeasing ; its proportions are un- 
symmetrical, its flight is awkward and its color 
is ugly ; but all its imperfections of shape, and 
all its ugliness of plumage, would be willingly 
overlooked by the inhabitants of the countriés: 
it frequents were it not for its song (?). No 
human contrivance, no modern composer of 
‘‘ scientific” music, ever succeeded in invent- 
ing any noise equal in discord to the sounds 
emitted by this most horrible croaker of the- 
night ; for its hideous guack, guack is gener- 
ally heard when people want:to sleep. I have 
been kept awake for hours. on. a still, balmy 
June night by these terrible-birds. They de- 
light in meadows and green fields. If such 
be near a farm house, and if the night: be still, 
the inmates must be very deaf or very tired ity 

OR CORN-CRAKE. 
they get much sleep. It is not the monotone 
of the corn-crake’s notes that constitutes their 
chief horribleness ; it is their inconceivable 
harshness; and how any apparatus of flesh 
and blood cam continue to emit them for hours 
at a time without going all to pieces, is one ot 
the mysteries. connected with the corn-crake 
that has never been explained in a satisfactory 
manner. American tourists. going to Great 
Britain or Ireland im the months of May or 
June should avoid stopping over night in farm 
houses if they are in any way troubled with in- 
somnia ; for if a.corn-crake begins his noctur- 
nal melody under their windows, their chance 
of sleep will. be-very slight. Bill Nye should, 
