It is migratory, arriving- in this country from the middle to 
the end of April, and quitting about the last week in October. 
It arrives in the Orkneys about two weeks later, but quits 
earlier. It is not a numerous species, but is dispersed 
throughout Great Britain and Ireland, and is said to be most 
abundant in the latter. 
The Crake Gallinule, or as it is more generally called, 
the Land Rail, is a shy solitary bird, confining its haunts 
entirely to corn fields, or among high grass, and never fre- 
quenting marshy places, as is the habit of the two species 
already figured. Its nest is loosely composed of a few dry 
leaves and grass, placed among corn or high grass ; it lays 
ten or twelve pale brownish white eggs with rust coloured 
spots. The young run as soon as excluded, often with parts 
of the shell adhering to them, they are covered with loose 
blackish down, and are of a clumsy shapeless make. 
In the spr ing this bird may be heard mostly towards the 
dusk of evening uttering its craking call, which is readily 
imitated by drawing the fingers along the teeth of a comb, 
and by this stratagem they are often decoyed under nets, 
placed for the purpose of their capture. One we kept in a 
garden for some months became very tame, aiid readily as-^ 
sociated and fed with the poultry ; it was continually on the 
search for slugs and >vorms, of the fpnner it devoured aipasi-^ 
ing numbers. 
The Corn Crake runs with great swiftness through the 
grass or corn, and is with difficulty roused to take wing ; it 
flies heavily, with its legs hanging down in an awkvyard 
manner. 
Provincial names: Corn Crake, Daker Hen, Land Henj^ 
Land Rail, Crek or Craker, Bean Crake, Corn Drake. 
