840 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



RALLUS AQUATICUS 



482. Rallus aquaticus aquaticus L— THE WATER-RAIL. 



Rallus aquaticus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i. p. 153 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted, typical locality : Great Britain). 



Rallus aquaticus Linnaeus, Yarrell, in, p. 159 ; Saunders, p. 515. 



Description (Plate 13). — Adult male and female. Winter. — 

 Feathers of whole upper -parts with large black centres and darkish 

 olive-brown fringes ; lores blackish ; stripes over eye, sides 01 head 

 and neck, throat and breast darkish slate ; apex of chin paler ash- 

 grey or hoary ; feathers of centre of belly and tibial feathers blackish- 

 slate tipped pale buff ; flank -feathers elongated, black with narrow 

 white bars and buff tips ; under tail-coverts same but with long buff 

 tips mostly obscuring black and lowest long feathers white tinged 



1 



The Water-Rail (Rallus a. aquaticus). 



buff at tips ; axillaries black narrowly barred and tipped white ; 

 tail as upper -parts ; primaries, primary-co verts and outer second- 

 aries black, inner ones with outer webs edged olive-brown and 

 innermost as upper -parts ; wing-coverts as upper -parts, narrow 

 white line round edge of wing, on outer median coverts usually 

 varying number of narrow white or whitish bars or spots but some- 

 times these are absent and sometimes very obscure. This plumage 

 is acquired by complete moult July (sometimes even June) to Nov., 

 wing- and tail-feathers appear to be moulted simultaneously as in 

 Crex crex but no specimens showing this completely are available. 

 Summer. — The body-plumage is moulted (probably only partially) 

 March- April but not wings or tail. Like winter but both upper - 

 and under-parts become rather paler by abrasion of feathers. 



Nestling. — Like that of Porzana porzana and not to be dis- 

 tinguished except by shape of bill. 



Juvenile. — L T pper -parts as adult ; lores dusky with pale buff 

 line from base of culmen becoming darker and mottled brown over 

 eye ; sides of head and neck, lower-throat, upper-breast and sides 

 of breast buff mottled brown, feathers being tipped brown ; chin 

 and upper-throat bufhsh-white often mottled brown ; centre of 

 breast and belly pale buff slightly mottled brown and with dull slate 

 bases of feathers not entirety concealed ; lower -flanks barred pale 



