THE SPOTTED CRAKE. 831 



but without white spots ; primaries dark brown, outer web of outer 

 mostly white but of rest greenish -brown and 2nd sometimes with a 

 little whitish freckling ; secondaries greyer-brown, inner sometimes 

 with white freckling on outer webs, innermost long ones like upper- 

 parts but inner webs uniform brown and outer webs with widely 

 spaced, narrow, zigzag white bars ; primary -co verts dark brown, 

 edged greenish -brown ; wing-coverts greenish -brown, sides of 

 feathers with widely spaced, narrow, transverse streaks (spot-like 

 on outer and extending to bars on inner feathers) of white margined 

 with black, uppermost lesser coverts white. This plumage is ac- 

 quired by complete moult July to Oct. N.B. — Apparently moult is 

 rapid as in Land-Rail but no example in wing-moult examined, 

 though one in heavy body-moult has lost all but three tail-feathers. 

 Summer. — A moult apparently confined to body-plumage takes 

 place Dec. and occasionally not complete April. N.B. — Few 

 actually in moult examined. As winter but stripes over eyes and 

 down sides of nape much purer slate-blue and spotted only on 

 posterior portion ; lores blackish-slate ; chin and throat slate-blue, 

 spotted only at extreme sides ; breast more tinged slate and less 

 brown. 



Adult female. . Winter. — Like male and often indistinguishable 

 but usually less tinge of slate on eye-stripes, chin more streaked 

 brown and breast less tinged slate. Summer. — Eye-stripe more 

 spotted white than male and throat not so uniform slate but usually 

 more or less mottled whitish. 



Nestling. — Covered with longish down with fine silky tips. 

 Whole bird black with tips of down glossed greenish on head, throat 

 and upper-parts but gloss only faintly noticeable on under-parts. 

 Thumb with rather strong claw. 



Juvenile. — Like adult winter female but breast buffish-brown 

 with few white spots. 



First winter. — The juvenile body -feathers appear to be moulted 

 in autumn and both sexes become like adult winter female but eye- 

 stripes rather more spotted. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 113-125 mm., tail 43-49, 

 tarsus 30-37, bill from feathers 18-21 (16measured). 2wing 109-120, 

 bill 16-20. Primaries : 2nd and 3rd longest, 1st 9-15 mm. shorter, 

 4th 2-5 shorter, 5th 6-11 shorter. Rest of structure as in Crex crex 

 but bill finer and gonys longer and gently sloped, extreme base of 

 culmen slightly swollen in adult, innermost secondaries shorter 

 (reaching about 5th primary), tarsus and toes rather more slender and 

 latter proportionately longer. 



Soft parts. — Bill : basal half yellow shading to orange-red at 

 base of culmen, rest green, tip brown (brighter in summer) ; legs 

 and feet pale olive-green ; iris bright brown. 



Characters. — No subspecies. For differences of P. Carolina see 

 under that species. Distinguished from other British Crakes by its 

 white-spotted head and neck and also by being larger than Little 

 and Baillon's Crakes. 



