. A history of British birds . he chin being still greyish-white, and the lead-grey colour of the front of the neck, breast, and belly beingvaried with patches of pale huffy brown and bars of greyish-white. In still younger birds, before their first autumnmoult, the neck, breast, and under parts are pale buflfywhite mixed with light brown. As particular marks of distinction between the twosmall species, it may be mentioned, that the Little Crakeexhibits but a few white marks on the centre of the back,and sometimes on the scapulars, but never on the wing-coverts ; in Baillons Crake, on the cont
. A history of British birds . he chin being still greyish-white, and the lead-grey colour of the front of the neck, breast, and belly beingvaried with patches of pale huffy brown and bars of greyish-white. In still younger birds, before their first autumnmoult, the neck, breast, and under parts are pale buflfywhite mixed with light brown. As particular marks of distinction between the twosmall species, it may be mentioned, that the Little Crakeexhibits but a few white marks on the centre of the back,and sometimes on the scapulars, but never on the wing-coverts ; in Baillons Crake, on the contrary, these whitemarks are very numerous, occupying several distinct situa-tions, namely, the central space on the back, the scapulars,wing-coverts, and tertial feathers on both sides: in BaillonsCrake, also, the outer web of the first primary is white,or mottled white; in the Little Crake it is unvaried brown,except when the feather itself is impoverished by age andatmospheric influences. WATER RAIL. FVLICARIM. 159 Rallus aquaticus, Linnaeus.* THE WATER RAIL. Rallus aquaticus. Rallus, Brissonf.—Beak longer than the head, slender, slightly deciirved,compressed at the base, cylindrical at the ijoint; upper mandible grooved at thesides. Nostrils lateral, pierced longitudinally in the lateral groove, partlycovered by a membrane. Legs long and strong, with a small naked space abovethe joint ; three toes before, and one behind ; the anterior toes divided to theirorigin, the hind toe articulated upon the tarsus. Wings moderate, rounded ;the first quill-feather much shorter than the second, the third and fourth quill-feathers the longest in the wing. The Water Rail, though well known as a species, appearsto be less abundant than it really is : the habits of the bird,and the nature of the localities it frequents, increasing thedifficulty of observation. It is found in the marshy districtsof this country, and delights to dwell among the rank vege-tation of fens, shallow po
Size: 1971px × 1268px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorsaun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds
