GENUS XXI.-THE OYSTER-CATCHER.

Gen. Char. Bill long, compressed, the end cuneated; nostrils linear; tongue, scarce a third the length of the bill; toes, only three, the middle joined to the exterior by a strong membrane.

Species 1.-The Sea-Pie.

Wil. Orn. 297. Raii Syn. Av. 105. Hæmatopus Ostralegus, Lin. Sys. 257. Brit. Zool. 376. Sib. Scot. 19. Orc. Sceolder.

THIS bird is found on our rocky coasts, where it lives on the limpets, and other shell-fish. It continues with us the whole year, and builds here.

The bill is most excellently contrived to procure its living; it is long, strong, and compressed sidewise, so that if it finds a limpet but a little way from the rock, it easily insinuates its bill between the shell and the rock, and brings it off in a moment. If the limpet is on its guard, and more firmly fastened, it knocks it off as dextrously as any fisherman when he wants it to bait his line.

It is sometimes eaten, but the flesh is very wild, has much the taste of limpets, its food, which makes it not much sought after.

The colours of this bird, though few, are good, and their mixture produces a good effect. The head, neck, back, and part of the coverts are a fine full black, in some birds (cocks,

I suppose), with a cast of green; the edges of the eyelids, and the irides, are a fine red; part of the breast, the belly, and rump are white; the lower part of the tail is white, and the upper black. The quill-feathers are curiously marked with white from the three outermost, where it prevails least, but gradually encroaching, seizes the whole of the innermost ; the legs and feet are flesh-coloured, rather clumsily made; the toes broad, and the outermost of these connected by a membrane, which is of excellent use to hinder these birds from sinking into the sand; the claws are dusky, short, and seemingly much worn by continually scrambling about the rocks in search of its limpet food.

The sea-pie is at very little pains about its nest; a hollow of the next rock, or between two stones, with an artificial hollow scraped by itself, lined with a few bits of grass, or sometimes with her own dung, serves the purpose. On this, or often on the bare rock, she lays four eggs, of an olive colour, spotted with darker blotches of the same.

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GENUS XXII.-THE RAIL.

Gen. Char.-Bill slender, a little compressed, and slightly incurvated; nostrils small; tongue rough at the end; body much compressed; tail very short.

Species 1.-The Water-Rail.

Water-Rail, Bilcock, or Brook-Ouzel, Wil. Orn. 314. Raii Syn. Av. 113. Rallus aquaticus, Lin. Sys. 262. Brit. Zool. 385. tab. 9. Brit. Zool. Illus. 74. fig. 1.

SOME TIME ago I had a bird of this kind sent me, but nobody could I get who had ever seen another of the kind, which makes me think it must be very seldom found here; where this one was caught, the sender did not inform me.

The weight was a little more than four ounces; the length, from the tip of the bill to the claws, near fourteen inches; the breadth sixteen; the bill near two inches, furrowed, and a little crooked; the nostrils long, placed in the furrows; the whole upper side of the body was a dark-brown, with a cast. of black; the throat lead-coloured, as also the breast; the wings blackish; the legs were pretty long, without the least rudiments of webs at the toes; these were placed far back; the tail short.

GENUS XXIII.-GALINULES, OR WATER-HENS.

Gen. Char.-Bill thick at the base, sloping to the point, the upper mandible reaching far up the forehead, and not corneous; body compressed; wings short and concave; toes long, divided to their origin; tail short.

Species 1.-The Land-Rail.

Rail, or Daker-Hen, Wil. Orn. 170. Raii Syn. Av. 58. Corncreck, Sib, Scot. 16. Corn-Craker, Mart. West. Isles, 71. Rallus Crex, Lin. Sys. 261. Brit. Zool. 387. tab. 10. Brit. Zool. Illus. 74. Orc. Corn-Crake.

THIS odd bird comes to us in the month of May or thereabouts, and continues till breeding-time be over. It conceals itself amongst long grass and corn; never cries, except when it is hid; lays a great number of eggs. I have frequently seen sixteen in a nest; the young run about when they are hatched; they are very ugly, covered with black hair.

The corn-crake is covered with long loosely-webbed feathers; the colour of the back a bay mixed with black; the wings in harvest become a very deep bay, inclining to red; the tail is short, and much of the same colour.

The corn-crake has not a strong wing; never flies far while here, and the little it does is very awkwardly performed, with the legs hanging down; and yet, what is remarkable, this is a migratory bird, and must surely take long stages on these occasions. I know not whether many of them may perhaps

perish in these migrations, which may thin the breed, as I know very few enemies they have, and the number of their young is great.

The order of migration in this bird is to me unknown: I never could observe them going off in flocks, like the lapwings, swallows, &c. nor do they convene in order to settle matters beforehand, as these have been observed to do.

Species 2.-The Water-Hen.

Common Water-Hen, or Moor-Hen, Wil. Orn. 312. Raii Syn. Av. 112. Fulica Chloropus, Lin. Sys. 258. Brit. Zool. 388. Brit. Zool. Illus. tab. 76. fig. 1. Sib, Scot, 19.

THIS species, I am informed, is found in a large loch at the house of Aikerness, in the parish of Evie, where it builds its nest among the weeds of which that loch is full. I have never seen it; but, by Mr Pennant's description, it is a beautiful bird, especially the male, the plumage of which has a fine olive gloss. It builds several times a-year; drives away its young when they are able to shift for themselves; lays seven eggs, of a dirty white, thinly spotted with rust-colour..