R A L L t p L E W » 11, Swaim.
Lewin’s Water 'Rail.
Rallus brachipus, Swains'. An. in Menag., p. 336.
—— Leioinii, Swains
— - brachipus, List of Birds in Brit. MusAGoJ^^^fr iii.:pl|^_5-.:
In Van Diemen’s Land this species is very abundant in all low ^^^^^^^ran^fjagopps, and the rushy
banks o f rivers; i t j f q p c u r s ^ o f - the small islands im D’EritrecMte|,ux,!.,Channel; I have also seen
specimens from Southern>and^^este^l^i^tf'ulia which are precisely sjmilM^in their markings, and only.
W ^ ^ p fe ^ ^ s om ew h a t^ ^ ^ ^ ^ j
evidentlyf&M||»eId^^i^J|f4 under twofnames, t ^ ^ f of brachipus and Lewinii, ;pdd£*I
am induced» t$ adopfethe ja^ ^ / wlii^^as he: observes, is a ju4t .m eS o ^ S ^ ^ g^ ^ s t author of a work onthe
Birds of Aixstralia, in" preference to-the .fQrmer, 'hecause I find the shortness o f the nails ||pdPcoiiseqaent
apparent shortness of'tfec toes, which'mustltayesuggested the appellationAtO he common onlw|p^those birds
which inhabit §i,e^SalI&islands, where, from the hard and stony nature fqfi^the ground they hp-v^to traverse,
^^^ailEIbecome,.i^^®worn and ^^^e^;%hi]e those of the bir^^h^mif^^^ i e main-land and resorting
giore* exclusively to the soft sedgy hadk^ fe v r e ipremaih intact.
I t^ S r y ^ lo s e ly allied to the Water Rail(.#tf//ws aquaticus) of fifirope,- and its habits, manners and mode
o f li^clp^ejy resemble those o f that b ir^ ^ S j
The stomach is rather muscular and the o f aquatic insects, small mollusks, &c. J
A nest I found ip V ; lagoon near t h g ^ ^ ^ e r w e n f in Van Diemens‘Land was formed of flags an il
other aquatic vegetables, placed in a low tuft of ju^n^^pid contained’ twpxeg:gs onp-in,ch and a quarter
^Sength'W-seyen-eighths of an inch in breadth^ an||^|pt5 ^ l^ ^ ^ p ^ Io u r iblotched all over, but particularly
at the larger end, with reddish and- darts bil l p S g y
The male has thehead and sides d&l&ei n e d f c^ i is ^ i^ « ^ i '‘with the crown and down: the nape;
^ ® h e "upper surface and&ap black striped K«th E » ; i wings, flanks* and abdomen banded broadly with
black apd n a r r o w ly ^ l feM t e ;. chib w h i t e |S ^ ^ ^ ^ & ]^ P f e ^ ^ M ^ K a n d ^ ^ ^ ^ g slate-grey; vent
b u f f kM Brownish red ; irides hazel; feet flesh-colour, becoming darker about the tods|^^
~ " The female is sundar,;^J^ot §b bright i n ^ S ^ A ^
The young is destitute o f S p r e d hue-op^he'. neck, has onl|^^-ace of the barritgloQ the flanks and
abdomen, and the barring of the wings much-less distinct than in the piale.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the size of life: