BAILS 
RaUtfonncs 
The rail-like birds are familiar to mo&t Europeans on 
account of the fact that they are welt represented in most parts 
of the British Isles by the coot, moorhen, water-rail and 
corncrake. 
In Malaya are found examples of both the families into 
which the Order is divided. With the finfoots, hbwever, we 
are not concerned. They are curious aberrant birds closely 
related to the more typical rails but somewhat like a grebe 
in form. Finfoots are found on certain rivers in the Malay 
Peninsula but do not occur in Sing-apore, Excluding these 
little-knoivn birds, for not much has been recorded of their 
habits, eleven raiNike birds are known from Malaya. Of 
these no less than eight have been recorded from Singapore 
although only the two species dealt with below are anything 
like common. The absentees from Sini^apore are the purple 
coot {Forphyrh) and two small "crakes". The common coot, 
curiously enoug^h, dpcs not occur in the Malay Peninsula but 
is known from Sumatra. 
On handling the body of a dead rail, particularly one of 
the true rails, the least observant of persons will surely remark 
its curious contour. The body is compressed from side to side, 
i.e., laterally compressed, and the concave wings are very 
closely fitting. The legs and toes are rather long, the latter 
often exceptionally so, and the bird is altogether admirably 
fitted for the life it leads. 
Rails are normally birds of the swamps and river banks, 
the fens atid grassy places. They have skulkingf, retiring 
habits and prefer to escape from danger by slipping quickly 
away through the undergrowth or running with great speed 
from one part of a field to another rather than by taking flight. 
What better shape could the body take than that compressed 
form in a bird that spends its life slipping through tangled 
dense vegetation ? The long toes are likewise admirably 
suited for supporting the bird when it is treading, as is it's 
[66J 
