THE LITTLE CRAKE 



835 



brown-black centres ; mantle black, feathers edged olive-brown 

 and with long white spots on distal portions of outer webs, forming 

 ill-defined white lines down mantle ; scapulars same but with 

 narrow black centres ; back as mantle but feathers edged darker 

 and less olive-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts brown as back 

 but with no white spots ; sides of fore-head, stripes over eyes 9 

 whole of sides of head and neck and under-parts slate, feathers 

 narrowly tipped buff, chin ashy -white, feathers of lower flanks and 

 vent tinged brown and tipped white with narrow blackish pen- 

 ultimate bars ; under tail-coverts blackish-slate, tipped and often 

 barred white and outer feathers with outer webs mostly brown ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts dull slate tinged brown ; tail- 



Wings of — A. Bullion's Crake (Porzana pvsilla intermedia). B. The Little 

 Crake (P. parva). 



feathers with brown-black centres and brown tips and edgings ; 

 primaries and secondaries and primary-coverts dark brown, outer 

 webs of primaries tinged olive-brown, innermost secondaries and 

 innermost greater coverts with black centres and olive-brown tips 

 and edgings ; rest of wing-coverts olive-brown with blackish bases. 

 This plumage appears to be acquired by complete moult (probably 

 July-Sept.) but no specimens actually in moult are available for 

 examination. Summer. — The body -feathers are moulted, probably 

 only partially, Jan. and perhaps Dec. Plumage like winter but 

 slate eye-stripes broader, under-parts almost uniform slate without 

 buff fringes, chin slate or mixed with ashy. 



Adult female. Winter. — Like adult winter male but brown of 

 crown extending broadly to centre of fore-head ; sides of fore-head, 

 lores, eye-stripes and sides of head pale, dull slate, a small spot of 

 pale brown at anterior edge of eye and ear-coverts mostly pale 

 brown ; sides of neck pale brown ; chin and throat grey-white ; 



