KALLUS INDICES. 
779 
Immature. The Japanese (Hakodadi) bird kindly lent to me by Mr. Seebohm presents the appearance of an immature 
bird as it has the same character as examples of the European species which are not fully adult, namely, the 
outer series of wing-covert feathers barred with white ; they are much more conspicuously marked than in an 
Essex skin of R. aquaticus before me, and the white bars are set off with black borders. 
The Bengal bird is paler than the Japanese, and, judging by the wing-coverts, is an older bird, for they are marked with 
only 3 a few bars of white ; the chest and breast-feathers, however, are tipped with white, and in some places tinged 
with brown ; the under tail-coverts are black, banded with white. 
I look upon the present species as a well-marked eastern race of the European Water-Kail. Its describer, Blyth, 
separated it from the latter on account of its larger size, stouter bill, the stripe under the eye, and the different 
tint of the blue-grey. The first character scarcely holds good, I think, as the bill in the European bird varies : an 
example from Essex in my collection measures from forehead to tip T39, height at base 0’28; another fine male 
in the flesh now before me measures in the same way 1’63 and 0-4 inch. The remaining dimensions of the 
latter are — tail 2-3 inches, tarsus T7, middle toe T8 : the difference in size, therefore, is only perceptible in tbe 
wing, as far as I can judge by the material at my disposal. Jerdon’s dimensions are — length 10| inches, wing 
4-5 to 5-0, tail 2-0, tarsus T75, bill at front 1-5. The stripe seems to be a good character, as also the different 
colour of the face, fore neck, and chest, which are fine blue-grey (an altogether darker colour) in 11. aquaticus. 
A further distinction, however, lies in the tint of the pale portion of the upper plumage, which is dull olive in 
R. aquaticus , and yellowish olive in R. indicus, although Asiatic specimens of the former seem to have the 
margins of the feathers yellower than European. The under tail-coverts are nearly all white in the European 
bird, whereas in the Indian they are black, margined with white. 
Distribution. — The Ceylonese habitat of this Rail rests on the evidence of several examples which were 
procured at Jayelle by Lieut. Long, of the Ceylon Rifles, and given to Layard. They arc referred to by this 
naturalist as follows t — “ Three or four of these Rails were shot in the Jayelle paddy-fields, near Colombo, 
by Lieut. Long, of H.M. Ceylon Rifle Regiment, to whom I am indebted for these and several other interesting 
specimens.” I infer that they ■were all procured at the same time, and during the cool season, as the species 
must, of course, be migratory to Ceylon, and as it is only at that period that this locality, which is about 14 
miles out of Colombo, on the Negombo road, is resorted to by sportsmen. 
In India it is scarce, as we do not find any mention of it by the numerous contributors to ‘ Stray 
Feathers’ since the commencement of the journal in 1873. Jerdon writes of it : — “It appears to be rather a 
rare bird in Central and Southern India, and has chiefly been found during the cold season, being probably 
migratory, like some of the other Rails I have only seen it myself in Northern India; and Adams says 
that it is common in the Punjab.” It is one of the species which Mr. Hume has noticed in the Calcutta 
market, with the remark that P. akool is rarer than it. Blyth notices two specimens in his catalogue, both 
procured near Calcutta, and says ( f Ibis,’ 1873) that he has seen dozens from Lower Bengal. 
I do not find that it has been noticed by any one in the Burmese countries; but, notwithstanding, Swinhoe 
records it from China on the evidence of examples procured at Tientsin. This author likewise records a 
specimen from Hakodadi in Japan ; and in their catalogue of the birds of these islands, Messrs. Blakistou and 
Pryer observe that it is a very common bird on banks of streams and ponds, is migratory to Yezo, and breeds 
about Yokohama. The localities they record it from are Yezo, Tokio, Yokohama, and Oyama in Legami. The 
Water-Rails procured by Dr. Scully in Kashgar are identified as 11. aquaticus, which proves that the Indian 
species ranges only to the north-east of the empire, and is replaced to the north-west by the European bird, 
which, according to Blyth, has been sent to Mr. Gould from India ; and which is doubtfully included by Hume 
in his recent list of Indian birds, not having been met with by any collectors of late years. 
Habits. In its economy the Indian Water-Rail does not differ from its European and Western- Asian 
ally, which it so closely resembles. Jerdon remarks that it frequents marshy ground, generally in rather thick 
covert. The locality which it seems to have chosen to frequent in Ceylon is eminently adapted to its habits. 
The Jayelle paddy-fields (a great resort for Snipe) are situated at the northern extremity ot the great 
Mutturajawella swamp, and consist in parts of rushy morasses, in which the Water-Rail would find ample 
shelter and food. Its European relative frequents the rushy, sedgy borders of streams, and runs through the 
thick vegetation in a crouching position, with its neck stretched out, looking more like a rat than a bird. It 
