RALLID.E — THE RAILS — PORZANA. 369 



September and October, though a few remain later. It is said to be especially com- 

 mon in Italy, in Sicily, and in the southern portion of Eussia, but to be very rare in 

 Holland. According to M. Boutelle, as quoted by Gerbe, it breeds in immense num- 

 bers in the marshes of Saint-Laurent du Pont, near Grenoble. Its nest is said to be a 

 structure loosely woven of coarse weeds, but so constructed as to be raised or depressed 

 by the rise or fall of water. 



The number of the eggs varies from eight to twelve. These are slightly oblong in 

 shape, of a bright clear yellowish brown, covered witli numerous very fine points, 

 with scattered blotches of varying size, some small and round, others larger, and 

 varying in shape, but always quite distinct in their coloring. These markings, scat- 

 tered over most of the egg, but chiefly grouped about its larger end, are of two kinds, 

 one deep violet-gray, others either a reddish or a blackish shade of brown. They are 

 said to measure from 1.34 to 1.38 inches in length, and from .94 to .98 of an inch in 

 breadth. 



The bird is said to have habits very similar to those of the European Water Eail, 

 frequenting, like that bird, fresh-water marshes and the margins of water covered 

 with rushes and coarse reeds. It feeds on insects, snails, small reptiles, and aquatic 

 plants. Its flesh in the autumn, when it is fat, is of very fine flavor, and hardly 

 inferior to that of the Land-Eail. 



In Great Britain, according to Yarrell, this bird is a smnmer visitor, arriving in 

 England by the 14th of March, and remaining as late as the 23d of October. In 

 exceptional instances individuals have been taken as late as November, and once 

 even in January. It is, as a species, much less numerous than the Land-Eail, and is 

 more aquatic in its habits. It frequents the sides of streams and lakes, concealing 

 itself among the thick reeds, and seldom leaves its seciu-e position among the luxu- 

 riant vegetation of marshy gi'ounds, ujiless driven out by the aid of a trained dog. 

 Its body is compressible, enabling it to make its Avay through the thick herbage with 

 facility. Its toes — which are long in proportion to the size of the bird — afford it a 

 firm footing over mtul or weeds, and also enable it to swim with ease. It is more 

 abundant in the maritime portions of England than elsewhere, and breeds in consider- 

 able numbers in the marshes of Norfolk. It also breeds in other parts of England, 

 where it can find suitable localities, and is more common in the fall than at any other 

 time. It feeds on worms, aquatic insects, and slugs, as well as on soft vegetable 

 substances. When kept in confinement it readily eats bread and milk or worms. 



This bird occasionally, but rarely, visits Sweden in the summer. It has been 

 taken at Tunis, and near Smyrna in the winter, and during its migrations in the^ 

 islands of the Mediterranean. 



It breeds in such marshes as are overgrown with reeds and sedges, its nest being 

 built on the wet ground, usually near the edge of the water, and formed of coarse 

 aquatic plants lined on the inside with finer materials. The young are at first covered 

 with a black down, and are said to take to the water with readiness as soon as they 

 are out of the shell. Yarrell describes the egg as being of a pale reddish white, 

 spotted and speckled with a dark reddish brown, and measuring 1.25 inches in length 

 by .87 of an inch in breadth. Three eggs in my own cabinet (No. 1390) — collected 

 in France by Dr. James Trudeau — are oblong and oval in shape, of nearly equal 

 size at either end. The ground-color is a light buff or dark cream-color, with a 

 reddish or a yellowish tinge, spotted irregularly with rounded and scattered markings 

 of a deep brownish red. These are of varying sizes, shapes, and shades, a few as if 

 washed with the ground-color diluted, and exhibit a shade of slate and lavender. They 

 vary in length from 1.30 to 1.35 inches, and in breadth from .94 to .99 of an inch. 

 VOL. I. — 47 



