288 



BIRDS. 



Col. Drummond Hay wrote in 1874: "Frequent examples of 

 this little Crake (not the Little Crake, P. parva^ Scop.) have been 

 seen by me on the banks of the Tay in autumn, one of which is in 

 my possession." 



In the winter of 1878-9, Mr. Malloch saw one Spotted Crake. 

 This was on the same day that he shot his record bag of Water-Rails. 

 He wrote : "I put this Crake up ; but though I could have easily 

 shot it, I did not, because it was too near, and it escaped into the 

 reeds." I may mention that I have had similar experiences with 

 this species, i.e. raising one suddenly when wading a duck-marsh, 

 seeing it distinctly fly about five yards, and then alight among the 

 sedges or reeds, and utterly fail to put it up again. On one occasion, 

 I can clearly remember, I identified the bird by the distinctness of the 

 bold spotting on the back, though at that time I had never seen the 

 species before. 



Ohs. — I think it is almost undoubted that Mr. Berry, of Tayfield, 

 handled either one of the Little Crakes or one of Baillon's Crakes 

 upon one occasion. The identity, however, of this bird must remain 

 uncertain, as he allowed it to fl}'^ away after examining it in his hand, 

 having picked it up out of a ditch on the borders of Tents Muir. I 

 believe it was probably Baillon's Crake from the description, and 

 that it was not the Spotted Crake. 



A specimen was obtained by Mr. Graeme, of Inchbrakie, and 

 sent to Mr. E. Gray for exhibition. It was shot 7th October 1878. 



In 1903, one at Murthly, 2nd November, and recorded {Annals 

 Scot. Nat. Hist., October 1904). It was shot by Mr. W. H. Cox, of 

 Clunie, " quite recently " (Froc. Perth. Soc. Nat. Sciences, 1903-4, p. vii.). 

 The date of exhibition and record is 12th November 1903.^ 



How long this small and inconspicuous little Crake may have 

 been an inhabitant of the Scottish areas I cannot, of course, say ; but 

 I am inclined to look upon it as a " lingering remnant," only retreat- 

 ing before the adverse circumstances of increased drainage and land 

 improvements, as may also be said of the Bittern and some other 

 species. 



One, Glenfarg (Fife, Tay), 20th September 1894; and one at the 

 same place, 10th October 1895 ; both sent by Mr. Riddell Webster to 

 Mr. Small, Edinburgh, for preservation {vide Register). 



Millais informs me that he has seen one or two specimens, all killed 

 in the Carse of Gowrie. 



^ I have also heard of several other examples got in Forth and Clyde in the autumn 

 of 1904. 



