October, 1918] 



The Ottawa Naturalist 



77 



some colors were able to export a surplus to the 

 amount of nearly $4,000,000. In keeping up with 

 this modern progress, the Philadelphia Commercial 

 Museum has added to its extensive exhibit of coal 

 tar products a series of seventy dyes "made in 

 America". To the same exhibit has been added 

 a collection of 67 specimens of synthetic flavors 

 and perfumes. It is very interesting to the visitor 

 to learn that perfumes such as rose, heliotrope, and 

 lily of the valley; and flavors such as grape, apple, 

 peach, and apricot, may all come from a lump of 

 soft coal instead of from the flowers and fruits. 



Another Record of the Rough-winged 

 Swallow near Ottawa, Ont. Prior to 1917, 

 when the writer found two pairs of nesting birds 

 eight miles above Ottawa on the Rideau river*, the 

 Rough-winged swallow had apparently not been 

 observed in eastern Ontario. 



On June 5, 1918, the above-mentioned locality 

 was again visited and, though others may have been 

 overlooked, only one nesting site was observed, from 

 which a female bird, nest and six eggs were collect- 

 ed, to be used as material in the preparation of an 

 habitat exhibition group in the Victoria Memorial 

 Museum. No feathers had been used in the 

 construction of the nest, but a few dry poplar leaves 

 had been introduced and also, for some unaccount- 

 able reason, several bits of fresh cow dung, which 

 were found adhering to the comparatively fresh eggs. 



In 1906, the nearest known breeding ground of 

 the Rough-winged swallow extended along the 

 southern shore of Lake Ontario, therefore the Otta- 

 wa records point to the probability that the species 

 has either crossed Lake Ontario and extended its 

 breeding range down the Rideau valley or has 

 ranged around one or both ends of the lake and 

 along the north shore to the Rideau waterway. 



This species is reported to become common in 

 localities where a few years before it was unknown, 

 so no doubt future records of the Rough-winged 

 swallow on the Canadian shore of Lake Ontario 

 will verify one or more of the above stated supposi- 

 tions. Clyde L. Patch, Ottawa, Ont. 



An Episode with the Virginia Rail.** 

 Difficulties are a stimulus to the bird student, just 

 as they are to students in other lines, but while 

 difficulties with many birds may be almost welcome, 

 adding zest to the study, when it comes to the 

 dwellers in the marshes, they are an exasperation, 

 as there is usually so little hope of fathoming them. 

 It is, therefore, the more incumbent on the favored 

 person who has an enlightenment with any par- 

 ticular species, that he shall declare his luck to the 

 world, hence this note. 



*The Ottawa Naturalist, June-.July, 1917. 

 **Read before the McIUvraith Ornithological Club. 



On August 5, 1918, the writer was at one end 

 of a crosscut saw, which was makmg quite a noise, 

 though not one that was commensurate with the 

 efforts applied at each end, and we heard, over 

 the rasping of the saw, erva-ah, etvaah, ervaah, sev- 

 eral times repeated. The tone resembled that of the 

 Black Duck, but more harsh and grating. The re- 

 mark was made that such a noise might be made by 

 a Florida Gallinule, but there would be no use in 

 hunting it as a marsh bird is not a thing to be 

 hunted in any active manner, the only successful 

 method being to keep out of the way, and to be 

 more or less still. So the sawing went on, and the 

 noise was soon repeated. This kept on until some 

 boys who were loafing around the waters' edge 

 called out that there was a strange bird in a tuft of 

 grass beside the pond. In a moment it was seen 

 to be a Virginia Rail, and it soon proved itself 

 to be the author of the strange sounds, by repeating 

 them. Its mate approached it, and a response came 

 across the 20 feet of water to the east, in the form 

 of a shrill, high pitched whistling note, and very soon 

 the author of this latter note, a jet black, downy 

 young, about the size of a Catbird, swam across the 

 open water, defying all dangers to get to its parent. 

 It was followed by three others, and there were 

 three or four more, whose courage was not equal 

 to the task, and they remained on the east side of 

 the water. But the four that crossed, swam and 

 ran boldly after the parents, who now varied their 

 calls with a /ei7f, k'k^ bk' pitched very high, though 

 it was several tones lower than the shrill piping of 

 the young. The parents now led the young west 

 into the long grass and were lost to sight, but at 

 intervals through the day, came vocal reminders that 

 the Rails had not left the premises, and about 5 p.m. 

 the calls began to come from the vicinity of the 

 crossing, and soon a bird (female?) appeared and 

 crossed to the east side, followed as before by four 

 young. Shrill pipings greeted her approach and 

 doubtless she picked up the whole of those that were 

 troubled with cold feet at the time of the morning 

 adventure. My companion circled around ahead 

 of them, and the mother bird led her brood within 

 an arm's length to the stationary man who acted 

 like a stump, and all vanished into the quiet swamp. 

 On following days, these sounds were repeated, but 

 the authors were no longer a matter of surmise, and 

 no sounds were thought to come from the Sora Rail, 

 which may not be breeding at the pond this year. 



It should be added that the tone of the calls by 

 the young resembled the squeaking of a door hinge, 

 and the vocal sound was Kee-a, the final syllable 

 being very short, while in the case of the old birds, 

 the first syllable was so short as to be inaudible at 

 any considerable distance. 



W. E. Saunders, London, Ont. 



