ON THE WATER-RAIL. 



177 



mirable work, " Le Regne Animal distribue d'apres 

 son Organisation," t. i. p. 500, has placed the genus 

 Rallus in the second section of his family Macro- 

 dactyls, and which includes those birds whose 

 wings are not armed with spines. But, since this 

 character has now been detected in the Water-rail, 

 the genus Rallus must be removed to the first sec- 

 tion of the family, distinguished by spinous wing- 

 lets, and associated with the genera Parra and Pala 

 media. There is but one British species of this re- 

 stricted genus. 



1. R. aquatic us. — Water -rail. — Under-side of 

 the bill and irides, orange ; breast ash-coloured ; 

 wings dusky, with the base white ; sides black, with 

 white bars ; beneath the eye, a pale spot ; length 

 from 9 to 10 inches ; breadth from 14 to 16 inches; 

 weight from 3 to 4§ ounces. 



This species is known by the following provincial 

 names in England : — Runner, Velvet Runner, 

 Oar-cock, Bill-cock, Brook-ouzel, and Skiddy-cock. 



Ralla-anglor, the Rail, or King of the Quails, 

 Merret's Pinax, p. 173. / 



Rallus aquaticus. Will. Orn. p. 234. 



Ray. Syn. Av. 113. 



Water-rail. Penn. Brit. Zool. vol. ii. p. 284. 

 tab. Ixxv. 214. 



The bill is an inch and three quarters in length 

 in the gape. The upper side of the upper mandi- 

 ble, and the tip of the under mandible, dusky black ; 

 the remaining part of the latter, and the edges of the 

 vol. in. m 



