SPOTIED CRAKE 
SPOTTED CRAKE. 
(^Porzana maruetta.) 
This is the smallest of the three species of Crake 
or Rail regularly occurring in England, and also 
the rarest. Like the Water-rail, it is a marsh- 
loving species, and has suffered much from the 
drainage of marsh land in so many parts of the 
country ; but it is probably commoner than is 
supposed in many districts, owing to its extremely 
shy and retiring habits. It is a small bird, scarcely 
more than half the size of the Moorhen ; its upper 
parts are dark olive-green, sprinkled with small 
white spots, while the under parts are paler brown, 
also spotted with white. It has the same length of 
body in front of the legs as the other members of 
the family ; the toes are long and slender, thus 
supporting the bird in soft and marshy places by 
distributing its weight over a larger surface. It 
arrives in April, and leaves, as a rule, in October, 
though it is sometimes found in winter. The nest 
is placed in the thick of the reeds or sedge, and is 
built of dry flags, like the Moorhen's, but is lined 
with dry grass. The eight or nine eggs rather 
resemble the Sandpiper's, though they are a good 
deal smaller and less pointed in shape ; they are 
