340 
BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 
Length 10 inclies^ tail I'S, wing 4-8_, tarsus 1*5, bill from gape 1*6. The 
female is of the same size. 
The Blue-breasted Banded Rail is found over the whole Province in low 
and marshy places. In Tenasserim Mr. Davison did not observe it south 
of Tavoy ; but it is a bird which is easily overlooked, and it probably occurs 
throughout Tenasserim. 
It is met with over a considerable portion of India and Ceylon, the Indo- 
Burmese countries. South China, Siam, Cochin China, the Malay peninsula, 
Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Philippine Islands and Celebes. The race 
inhabiting the Andaman Islands has been separated by Mr. Hume under 
the name of H. obscuriora. 
This Rail frequents swamps, paddy-fields, thick herbage, reed-beds and 
other low wet localities. It seldom allows itself to be seen except when 
feeding, at which times it comes out of its cover rather boldly and does not 
exhibit much fear. 
It breeds from July to October, making a small nest of grass on the 
ground near water, and well surrounded by thick vegetation. It lays as 
many as seven eggs, which are pinkish stone-colour blotched with pale 
purple. 
Genus RALLINA, Reich. 
693. EALLINA EURYZONOIDES. 
THE BANDED RAIL. 
Gallinula euryzonoides, Lafresn, Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 368. Rallus zeylanicus, 
Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 716. Porzana ceylonica, JSl. Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. Beng. 
p. 285 ; Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 725 j Hume, S. F. i. p. 440, iii. p. 188 ; Bourdillon 
^ Hume, S. F. iv. p. 405 ; Hume, 8. F. vii. p. 465. Rallina ceylonica, Wald. 
in Bl. B. Burm. p. 162. Rallina euryzonoides, Tiveedd. P. Z. S. 1877, p. 767 ; 
Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 772 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 113 ; Hume ^ Marsh. Game 
Birds, ii. p. 237, pi. ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 242. 
Description, — Male. Chin and throat whitish ; with this exception the 
whole head, neck all round and breast chestnut ; the whole upper plumage, 
wings and tail rich olive-brown with a ruddy tinge on the back, rump, 
scapulars and tertiaries j all the quills with white bars on the inner webs ; 
abdomen, vent, under tail-coverts, sides of the body and under wing-coverts 
broadly barred with dark brown and white. 
The female differs in having the crown, nape and upperside of the neck 
of much the same colour as the back. 
Iris blood-red ; base of upper mandible and the greater portion of the 
