File:Birds of Britain (1907) (14752264361).jpg

Identifier: birdsofbritain00bonh (find matches)
Title: Birds of Britain
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Bonhote, J. Lewis (John Lewis), 1875-1922 Dresser, Henry Eeles, 1838-1915
Subjects: Birds -- Great Britain
Publisher: London, A. and C. Black
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ed in a reed-bed or tussock of sedge,often entirely surrounded by water. It is formed externallyof coarse weeds and lined with finer materials. The eggs,usually eight to ten, are olive buff, spotted and flecked withreddish brown. The young when first hatched are blackand take to the water readily, swimming about with theease of young Moor-hens. The male is greenish brown on the upper parts, thefeathers having darker centres as well as a few small whitespots; breast brown, spotted with white; rest of under partsgrey ; flanks barred with brown. This bird shows no greatdifferences in plumage, the sexes and young being muchalike. Length 9 in.; wing 45 in. THE LITTLE CRAKE Porzana parva, Scopoli The little Crake is a migrant breeding in CentralEurope. To Great Britain it is a very rare straggler,and has only been taken about a dozen times, and onlyone instance is noted from both Scotland and Ireland. It is a rather smaller bird than the preceding species, 286 WATER-RAILRail us aquaticus ^h
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The Little Crake from which it may be readily distinguished by the absenceof spots on the throat or breast. Length 8 in. ; wing4-2 in. BAILLONS CRAKE Porzana bailloni (Vieillot) This species has only been met with in these islands onthe spring and autumn migrations; on one or two occasionsit has been recorded as having bred in the eastern counties,but although there is no great improbability about this,British-taken eggs have never been thoroughly authenticated.On the Continent it breeds freely in Western Europe, fromHolland southwards as far east as North Italy. In plumage it closely resembles the Little Crake, fromwhich it may always be distinguished by having the outerweb of the first primary white. Length 7 in.; wing3-45 in. THE WATER-RAIL Rallus aquaticus, Linnaeus This species is tolerably abundant throughout GreatBritain wherever swamps and sedge or reed-beds aresufficiently large to afford it cover. It is most abundantin winter, when our native birds receive large additionsfro

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