836 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



lower-throat, breast, sides and upper belly pinkish-buff to brownish- 

 buff ; lower flanks, vent and under tail-coverts barred much as 

 male but more buffish -brown ; axillaries and under wing-coverts 

 dark slate-brown sometimes with some small whitish spots ; some- 

 times slight white edging on outer primary ; upper wing-coverts as 

 male but greater coverts usually with some white spots. Summer.- — 

 As winter but slate of lores, round eyes and eye-stripes purer and 

 eye-stripes broader and less brown on ear-coverts. 



Nestling. — Like that of P. porzana with the green gloss rather 

 stronger on upper-parts and throat. 



Juvenile. — Upper-parts as adult female ; lores, eye -stripes and 

 sides of head and neck bumsh-white speckled brown ; ear -coverts 

 with patch of brown ; under -parts bumsh-white, chin and centre of 

 throat whiter and uniform and centre of belly mostly uniform but 

 rest of under -parts mottled brown, feathers being tipped dark 

 brown and flanks and under tail-coverts strongly barred brown and 

 black-brown ; wings as adult but more spotted, under wing-coverts 

 and greater coverts and some median upper coverts having varying 

 number of white spots (varying in size), often small white spots at 

 tips of primaries and near tips of primary-coverts but sometimes 

 these feathers are unspotted ; sometimes slight white edging to 

 outer primary. 



First winter and summer. — The juvenile plumage does not 

 appear to be moulted before Nov. After moult like adult but males 

 browner on flank-feathers and more buff tips on under-parts and 

 some small white spots on wing-coverts ; females with lores and 

 eye-stripes duller slate-grey and under-parts paler buff than in 

 adults. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 102-110 mm., tail 50-67, 

 tarsus 28-32, bill from feathers 16.5-19 (12 measured). $ wing 

 95-106, bill 16-18. Primaries : 2nd and 3rd longest, 1st 14-17 mm. 

 shorter, 4th 3-7 shorter, 5th 8-12 shorter. Rest of structure as in 

 Porzana porzana but innermost secondaries shorter (reaching 8th 

 or 9th primaries), tarsus and toes proportionately longer and culmen 

 not swollen at base. 



Soft parts. — Bill (ad.) pale grass-green, tip greyish, base of 

 upper mandible at gape red ; legs and feet green ; iris and orbital 

 ring crimson. 



Characters. — No subspecies. Smaller than other British Crakes 

 except Baillon's, for distinctions of which see under " Characters " 

 in that species. 



Breeding-habits. — Haunts marshes, unreclaimed banks of streams 

 and ponds. Nest. — Well concealed in tussock of grass, flags or sedge 

 in wet place, built of sedges, rushes, etc., and lined finer grasses. 

 Eggs. — Usually 7-8, occasionally 9-11, ochreous in ground-colour 

 and covered with numerous fine brown spots, not so glossy as those 

 of Baillon's Crake and as a rule lighter in colour and larger. Average 

 size of 100 eggs, 30.45X21.73. Max. : 33.5x23. Min. : 28X19 mm. 



