382 
ALECTORIDES. 
region, white; foreneek and breast pale drab, tinged with gray; sides and crissum transversely 
banded with brown and white. Young: Similar, but without any gray on the bead. Downy 
young: Uniform dark sooty brown, the bead blackish; bill uniform dusky, or pale brownish; 
iris brown; legs and feet “bluish fiesh-color” in life (Macgillivray), pale brownish in dried 
skins. Total length, about 10.00-10.50 ; extent, 17.00-18.00 ; wing, 5.70-6.00 ; culmen, .85-.90 ; 
tarsus, 1.50-1.60 ; middle toe, 1.30. 
The Land-Rail, or Corn-Crake of Europe, is a regular visitant in summer of Green- 
land, where it breeds, and is thence a straggler to our Eastern Atlantic coast, as far 
south as Long Island. Its appearance in Hew England, though probably occasional, 
has never — that I am aware — been actually detected. It is credited as occurring in 
Bermuda. 
In Great Britain, according to Yarrell, it is a common summer visitor, making its 
appearance in the southern counties of England during the last ten days of April, 
but in Yorkshire and farther north, not until the second week in May. It usually 
leaves the British Islands in October, but single individuals have been met with as 
late as December and January. It is common in the valleys in Scotland, and abun- 
dant on the Orkney and Shetland Islands. It visits Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, 
going as far north as the Faroe Islands and Iceland. It is abundant over the entire 
European continent, and has been found in winter in Asia Minor. It is mentioned 
by Dr. Heineken among the birds of Madeira, and its appearance has been noted in 
its spring migrations in Malta, Sicily, and Algiers. It is included among the birds 
of Northern Asia in Pallas’s “ Zoograpliia Rosso-Asiatica.” 
Major Wedderburn states that on the 25th of October, 1847, he shot a single 
specimen on the Pembroke Marsh, Bermuda. A notice of this “ rare occurrence ” 
was sent at the time to the “ Zoologist,” 1849, and the specimen given to Mr. Yarrell, 
from whose collection it passed into that of Colonel Drummond. 
In Europe this species is said to frequent the long grass of marshy water-meadows 
near rivers, beds of osiers or reeds, and fields of green grain, where its presence is in- 
dicated by its creaking note ; and hence one of its names, that of Corn-Crake or Corn- 
Creak, by which latter name it is known in Ireland. This note can be so nearly 
imitated by passing the thumb-nail along the teeth of a comb, that the bird can be 
decoyed within a very short distance by the sound thus produced. This call is the 
love-note of the male, and is continued until a mate is found. After the season 
of incubation it is seldom heard. If kept in confinement the Land-Rail, besides 
this call-note, utters a low guttural sound whenever it is disturbed or suddenly 
alarmed. 
The food of the Corn-Crake is said to consist of slugs, snails, worms, small lizards, 
and insects, with portions of vegetable matter and a few seeds. Its nest is placed on 
the ground, and is formed of dry plants. A field of green grain, thick grass, or clover 
is generally the situation that is chosen. The number of the eggs is said to be from 
seven to ten; and these, in England, are laid about the middle of June. The young, 
when first hatched, are covered with down, of a black color, but soon acquire their 
first feathers, and are able to fly in about six weeks. 
It is related by Daniel — as quoted by Yarrell — that in 1808 as some men Avere 
mowing grass, ripon a little island belonging to the fishing water of Low Bells, on the 
Tweed, they cut off the head of a Corn-Crake Avhich Avas sitting on eleven eggs. 
About twenty yards from the spot they found a Partridge sitting upon eighteen eggs. 
The mowers took the eggs from the nest of the Corn-Crake and put them in that of 
the Partridge. Two days later she brought out the entire brood of twenty-nine, all 
of which were seen running about the island. The Partridge took care of them all, 
