SPOTTED CRAKE. 
" November 4th, 1774. The Rallus porzana or spotted 
water-rail, a rare bird, was shot in the sedge of Bean's 
pond. This was the first of the sort that I ever heard of 
in these parts. I sent it to London to be stuffed and pre- 
served. A beautiful bird." And 
"August 26th, 1777. A spotted water-hen shot in the 
Forest." 
Then from Longparish Colonel Hawker in his " Diary " 
takes up the tale .... September i6th, 181 1. "Twelve 
snipes and one water-crake (or spotted gallinule). Besides 
another water-crake and three snipes shot and lost in the 
high reeds .... so that I knocked down fifteen snipes 
and two water-crakes out of eighteen shots. We found 
three couple of the latter birds, which I consider a great 
curiosity, as I never saw but three before in all my life, and 
all of these were in different years and different countries. 
I never met with any in Hampshire before, although the 
water-rails here are very numerous." 
October 27th, 18 17. "I killed in fifteen shots: nine 
snipes, three partridges, one spotted gallinule and one 
water-rail," and in his list of game killed in September, 
1847, is one spotted gallinule." 
Total bag in fifty years, three. 
In Lord Malmesbury's collection at Heron Court is a 
specimen caught by a dog on November 19th, 1828, in a 
trench in the Upper Dudmoor. 
Bury mentions one caught in Bordwood Forest on 
October ist, 1842, one killed in February, 1844, ^i^d six 
others, all killed in the Isle of Wight in the winter. 
More says that it has not yet been ascertained to nest 
in the Island, " though likely enough a pair or two may 
linger " in certain suitable localities. 
Wise also "would not be surprised to hear of its 
