RAILS, (uniiilxetacs, AND eoo't‘s. 14;»,

214. Porzana Carolina. t I./un,‘i. Sum; t‘AlmuNA l'lAlL. (See Fig. ‘1‘). e.) .111. llegion about the base of the hill. eenter ot‘ erown. and a line, down the middle ot‘ the neek lilaek: rest of the hreast and throat. sides of

the head. and t'ront part ot‘ the erown pale Muesli.

\‘1 rest ot‘ the upper parts otivwlirown, most ot‘ the t'eathers with lilael; eenters. the seapltlars and liaek streaked on either side with white; wings t'nseons-la'own. their em'erts gray— isl. cinnamon,outer edge ot tirst primary white: lower lwlly white. tlanks barred with lilaek and white. III/.mfiimilar, hut without hlaek at the base of the, hill or on the throat: hreast washed with einnamon and upper parts darker. l... \‘Fm; \\‘.. -t~:;o; 'l'aiz, |-:;o; 1-3“ -so,

[fang/usl'lreeds from Kansas. lllinois. and Long Island northward to lludson llay: winters from South ('arolina to northern South Anu-riea.

\\'ashinu’ton. eomnion T. \'.. .\Iel1.: July to Nov. Long island. eom- mon 'l'. \'.. Apl. and May: Aug. to (let; rare 5. R. Sing Sing. eommon T. V. May; Aug. 1‘) to ()et. _ . Oct. 25".

And. of grasses. on the ground in marshes. Ideas. eight to tit'teen. hutly white or <whraeeous—luntl'. spotted and speekled with rutous-hrown. 1'24 x 'Ut).

(‘aniln‘idge‘ \‘ery common S. It, Apl. :50 to

The Soras’ summer home is in fresh-\‘a‘ter marshes, where. if it were not for their notes. the reeds and grasses \vould long keep the secret of their presence. llut’ knowiner their calls, you have only to pass a May or June evening n -at‘ a marsh to learn whether they in- habit it. If there. they will greet you late in the afternoon with a. clear whistled [fer-201W, whieh soon eomes from dozens of invisible, birds about you. and longr after night has fallen it eoutinues like a springtime ehorus of piping hylas. Now and again it is interrupted by a high-voieed, rolling zebra/1y whieh. like a call of alarm, is taken up and repeated lay different birds all over the marsh.

They seem so absorbed by their musieal devotions that even when callingr Continuously it requires endless patieuee and keen eyes to see the dull-eolored. motionless forms in plaees where one would not sup- pose there vas sutlieieut growth to conceal them.

Floating silently near the shore on my haek in a canoe, I have seen them venture out to feed. With tails ereet they step gingerly along. evidently aware of their exposed position. for on the least alarm they dart; liaek to eover. Sometimes they cross small streams by swim- ming. and they are expert «livers.

In the tall they gather in the wild-rice or wild-oat (Zia/71m aqua!- im) nuirshes, and a \\‘ell-direeted stone or unusual noise may lningt series of pt'otestin;,r interrogatire Ira/rs or per/IN from the apparently deserted reeds. At this season “gunners" in small flat-bottomed boats are poled through the Jlooded meadows, and the Soras. waiting until the last moment. rise on t'eellle wingwa mark whit-h few ean miss. Numerous pull's of smoke float over the tall grasses. and the dull reports come hooming across the marsh with fateful trequeney.