175 
WATER-RAIL. 
CHAPTER XII. 
RAILS, CRAIKS, &C. : THE WATER-RAIL THE CORN, 
SPOTTED, LITTLE, AND BAILLOn's CRAIKS THE WATER 
HEN COMMON COOT. 
THE Water-Eail (Rallus aquaticus). — With this bh-d 
we enter upon Macgillivray's 16th order, Latitores^ or 
Skulkers, of which but one family, the ParrincB^ have 
British representatives. In the first genus of the family, 
called Rallus^ we find the bird above-named. The Eails are 
mostly small birds, varying in size between the Woodcock 
and the Snipe. They are all more or less aquatic in their 
habits, inhabiting the grassy margins of lakes and rivers, 
where they build their bulky nests of the vegetation near 
at hand. Their food is of a mixed nature, composed partly 
of worms, mollusca, insects, &c., and partly of seeds. They 
are very shy, hiding in the grass, swimming, and even 
diving upon occasions. Our Water-Eail is sometimes 
called the Bilcock, Eunner, Skit, or Skiddy-Cock. It has a 
compressed body ; small narrow head ; the bill and feet 
are fiat and sharp, and the wings pressed closely to the 
sides. One might imagine the head to have been squeezed 
