( 73 ) 

 the Water Rati Rallus Aquaticus. // UClC^A- 



Numb. LXXVII. 



/ 



j/^y 



ITS like the common Water Hen, but lefs, and bigger than a ^aH\ cfF 

 a flender, narrow or compreffed Body ; from the Point of the Bill to the 

 End of the Tail is iilmches, and to the End ofthe Claws is fixteen Inches 

 long ; Breadth fourteen Inches and a half; its Head is fmall, narrow or 

 compreffed fideways j its Bill like the Ruff's, about two Inches long, ftreight, 

 compreffed likewife fideways ; it is red, efpecially the lower Mandible and 

 lower part of the upper ; for toward the Top it is black, fmooth and hard ; 

 the Tongue reaches to the very End of the Bill, and is white and rough 

 at the Tip ; it hath a round, black, bald Spot, or naked Skin in the Fore- 

 head, but much lefs than that ofthe Cootj fo little that it is fcarce obfervable* 

 The Colour ofthe Head, Shoulders, Back, covert Feathers of the Wings, in 

 fhort, the whole upper Side, is a Variety of black, dark brown and Olive 

 Colour, each iingle Feather having its middle part black, and its Edges O- 

 live coloured; the Chin is white ; the Throat red, with .a Mixture of afh 

 Colour ; the extreme Edges, and as it were Fringes of the Feathers being 

 a little grey ; the Breaft is more blue, with a Bed of white in the middle ; 

 on the Thighs, and Sides under the Wings, grow black Feathers elegantly 

 variegated with tranfverfe white Lines; the Belly is ruffet, with white 

 Feathers under the Tail, like the common Moore Hen, marked with one or 

 two black Spots ; the Wings arc hollow, the Quill Feathers fhort, black, or 

 very near it, in number twenty two ; along the Bafis ofthe Wing is a Line 

 of white, as in the Moore Hen; the Tail is about two Inches long, of an ob- 

 icurc brown, fomewhat inclining to black, only the Edges ofthe two middle 

 Feathers are redifli ; the I^egsand Feet are of a dark redifh brown, the Legs 

 being ftrong ; the Toes, as in the reft of this kind, very long, divided from 

 the very Rife, except that the outer Toe is joined to the middle by a Mem- 

 brane at the Bottom ; the Claws are of the fame Colour with the Toes : It 

 had a great, long, crooked Gall-bladder, and a large Gall-pore, befideslong 

 blind-Guts, filled with Excrements, and a mufcuious Stomach, in which. 

 was found a Shell Snail. 



It runs very fwiftly, and hide sit felf about the Banks of Rivers ; it walks 

 rather than fwims in the Water, and flies with its Feet hanging down. It is 

 called at Venice, Forzane or Porzana, a Name common to other Water' 

 Hens alfo. 



U . 7he 



