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THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
Nest. — An open structure, composed of coarse grasses; generally 
placed at the base of a tussock of grass or reeds growing in or surrounded 
by water. 
Eggs. — Four or five, pale stone-brown, tinged with olive, and freckled, 
spotted, and blotched with different shades of purplish-brown and grey 
markings. Breeding-season : August to January. 
4. Marsh Crake Porzana pusilla Pallas 
pu-sil'-la — L., pusillus , very small. 
Distribution. — Australia (coastal) and Tasmania; also occurs in the 
eastern hemisphere, Europe, Africa to Japan and New Guinea, and New 
Zealand. 
Notes. — Also called Little Crake. Usually singly or in pairs, fre- 
quenting swamps and reed or mangrove-lined streams and inlets. It is 
timid and wary, rarely leaving the seclusion of its haunts, and is a difficult 
species to observe. Although it swims and dives expertly, it prefers to 
keep to the shallows, seeking its food while wading. Its call-note is a 
sharp “Krek” or ‘‘Crake/’ usually uttered at dusk or at daybreak. Food: 
aquatic insects, small freshwater molluscs, and the green shoots of aquatic 
plants. 
Nest. — A slightly concave structure, composed of dried coarse 
grasses and aquatic plants ; generally well concealed, and built in a clump 
of reeds or a low bush growing in water. 
Eggs. — Five or six, varying from pale brown tinged with olive to 
dark olive-brown ; some closely resemble pebbles, others are slightly 
covered with streaks of a darker shade of the ground colour. Breeding- 
season : October to January. 
5. Spotless Crake Porzana plumb ea Gray 
plum-be-a — L., plumb eus , leaden. 
Distribution.— Eastern and southern Australia, and Tasmania; also 
occurs in the Malay Archipelago, Philippine Islands to Tonga, New 
Zealand, and Chatham Islands. 
Notes. — Also called Leaden Crake, Tabuan Crake, Swamp-rail, Little 
Swamp-hen, Pukeko, and Putoto. Usually singly or in pairs, frequenting 
swamps and the reed-lined margins of streams. It is similar in habits 
and economy to the Spotted and Marsh Crakes. 
Nest. — An open structure, composed of dried, coarse grass-stalks; 
generally built low down in a tussock of grass. 
Eggs. — Four or five, sometimes as many as seven, pale creamy-brown, 
thickly covered with faint markings of light chestnut-brown. Breeding- 
season: September or October to January. 
6. Lewin Water-rail Rallus pect oralis Temminck 
Rail' -us — N.L., rallus , rail: pec-tor-a-us— L., pectoralis, breasted. 
Distribution. — Eastern, southern, and south-western Australia 
(coastal), and Tasmania; also occurs in New Guinea. 
