WATER-RAIt.. 
21 7 
Man. Brit. B. p, 501 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. 
part XX. (1891); Sharpe^ Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiii. p. 20 
(1894). 
{P/a/e CXVJ.) 
Adult Male in Summer Plumage.— General colour above olive- 
brown, broadly streaked with black, the feathers being all 
longitudinally centred with black, the rump more uniform 
olive-brown ; the upper tail-coverts centred with black like the 
back; wing. coverts and inner secondaries like the back; the 
outer coverts, bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and wing blackish- 
brown, quite uniform, or slightly washed with olive externally ; 
the first primary pale brown along the outer web ; tail-feathers 
blackish, externally olive-brown; crown of head and hind-neck 
like the back, more minutely streaked with black ; a broad 
eyebrow, sides of face, and under surface of body dark slaty 
grey, with a slight dusky shade on the lores and region of the 
eye ; throat and fore-neck rather lighter grey than the breast ; 
sides of upper breast olive-brown, centred with black like the 
back ; flanks and sides of vent black, tran.sversely barred with 
w'hite; lower abdomen and vent isabelline buff; under tail- 
coverts black, barred with white and tijiped with isabelline 
buff, the lateral under tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts 
and axillaries black, barred and edged with white ; quills ash)’- 
blackish below. Total length, ii inches; culmen, 17; wing, 
4'9 ; tail, 2-3 ; tarsus, i’5. 
Adult Female.— Similar to the male, but rather smaller ; bill 
above nostril very dark brown, below nostril and lower man- 
dible orange-red ; feet light fleshy brown ; iris orange-red. 
Total length, 9'5 inches; wing, 4-2. 
Adult in Winter Plumage. — Similar to the summer plumage, 
but decidedly browner; the under parts freckled with light 
brown edges to the feathers, each margin preceded by a dusky 
sub terminal line ; the lower flanks and thighs strongly washed 
with fulvous brown ; the outer upper wing-coverts with zig-zag 
white bars ; throat whitish. 
Young.— Similar to the winter plumage of the adults, but 
with a whiter throat, and the whole of the centre of the brea.st 
and abdomen whitish, slightly washed with brown, and with 
