The Watef Rail. Rallus Aqtiaticus.
Nuihb. LX^VII.
IT'S like the common IV iter Hen, but lefs, and bigger than a ¿Quad; df
a flender, narrow or corppreffed Body 3 from the Point o f the Bill to the
End o f the Tail is 1 z laches, and to the End of the Claws is fixteen laches
long 5 Breadth fourteen, inches and a half- its Head is fmall, narrow or
comprefledfideways; its Bill like the Ruff’s, about two Inches long, {freight^
comprefled likewife ¿deways- 5. it is red, efpecially the lower Mandible and
lower part of the upper 3 for toward the Top it is black, imooth and, hard;
the Tongue reaches to the very End of the Bill, and is white and . rough
at the Tip 3 it hath a round, black, bald Spot, or naked Skin in the Forehead,
but much leis than that of .the ¿so/, fo little that it is icarce obiervable.
The Colour of the Head, Shoulders, Back, covert Feathers ofthe Wings;in
ihort, the .whole upper Side, is a 'Variety of black, dark brown and Olive
Colour, each fingle Feather having, its middle part black, and its Edges 6 -
live coloured; the Chin is white 3 the Throat red, with a Mixture of aih
Colour 3 the extreme Edges, and as it were Fringes of the Feathers being
a little grey ; the Breaft is more blue, with a Bed of white in the, middle ;
on the Thighs, and Sides under the Wings, grow black Feathers elegantly
variegated with tranfverfe. white Lines; the Belly is ruflet, with white
Feathers under the Tail, like the common Moore Hen, marked with one or
two black Spots 3 the Wings are hollow, the Quill Feathers ihort; black, or
very near it, in number twenty two ; along the Bafis of the Wing is a Line
of white, as in the Moore Hen 3 the Tail is about two Inches long, of an ob-
fcure brown, fomewhat inclining to black, only the Edges of the two middle
Feathers are rediih 3 the Legs and Feet are of a dark rediih brown, the Legs
being ftrpng3 the Toes, as in thereft of this kind, very long,-divided from
the very Rife, except that the outer Toe is joined to the middle by a Membrane
at the Bottom 3 the Claws are of the fame Colour with the Toes : It
had a great, long, crooked Gall-bladder, and a large Gall-pore, befideslong
blind-Guts, filled with Excrements; and a mufculous Stomach, in which
was found a Shell Snail.
It runs very fwiftly, and hide s it fclf about the Banks of Rivers 3 it walks
rather than fwims in the Water, and flies with its Feet hanging down. It rs
called at V ?nice, Vorzane or Porzatia, a Name common to other Water-
Hens alfo.