ON THE WATER-RAIL. 



179 



sists of four feathers ; and, as already noticed, is 

 armed with a projecting spine, about an eighth of 

 an inch in length ; the tail, which is fan-shaped, 

 consists of twelve feathers, about two inches in 

 length, dusky, with olive-brown margins ; the un- 

 der coverts white; the oil-bag is prominent, and 

 surrounded with a tuft of pale feathers. 



The inside of the bill is reddish-orange ; the 

 throat pale. Willoughby says, " Vesicula fellea 

 grandis, longa, recurva. Poms biliarius magnus. 

 Appendices longse, excrementis repletse. Ventricu- 

 lus musculosus." 



The bird described above, was a male. The fe- 

 male, according to Montagu, has a shorter bill, of a 

 paler colour ; and the young ones bear a near resem- 

 blance to the adult birds. 



This species is subject to slight variations of 

 plumage, as appears from another specimen which 

 we have examined, in which a few of the upper 

 wing-coverts were barred with white, and the edges 

 of the feathers on the neck and breast, were edged 

 with white. Montagu, in his description, states, 

 that the middle tail-feathers were wholly olivaceous 

 brown. 



" The nest," according to the observations of 

 Montagu, " is rarely found. It is made of sedge 

 and coarse grass, amongst the thickest aquatic 

 plants; frequently in willow-beds. In such a si* 

 tuation, we found one with six eggs, of a spotless 

 white, and very smooth, rather larger than that of 



M 2 



