A novice birdwatcher looking at Monthly Marathon photo number 201 (Brit. Birds 96: plate 245, repeated here as plate 25) might wonder if the bird depicted in the photograph is a wader, with the stripes on the mantle possibly suggesting a species of snipe Gallinago. Along with the striped mantle, our bird also shows conspicuous white barring on the flanks. Taken together, these features do not fit any wader recorded within the Western Palearctic, so we need to consider which other families can show these characters. Many BB readers may have quickly concluded that the chunky shape of the bird suggests a rail or crake (Rallidae) but, with the head and bill hidden in the water, it is not immediately obvious which species this may be. Looking first at the white mantle stripes, this feature immediately rules out Water Rail Rallus aquaticus, while the smaller crakes, including Little Crake Porzana parva and Baillon's Crake P. pusilla, are generally more richly coloured on the mantle, tending towards rufous in Little Crake or chestnut in Baillon's. Remaining focused on the structure of our25. Sora Porzana carolina, Porth Hellick, St Mary's, Scilly, October 1991. bird, the primary projection appears fairly short, a feature compatible with Baillon's Crake but one which eliminates Little Crake. Returning to the mantle pattern again, Baillon's Crake usually shows scattered white `doughnut' rings on the upperparts; these are lacking in this bird and, together with the dull brown tone to the upperparts, it is fairly safe to eliminate Baillon's