374 ALECTORIDES. 



on the ship •' Michael Angelo," during a voyage from Liverpool, in May, 1851. The 

 nearest land was Cape Sable, three hundred miles distant. 



The sensitiveness of this bird to cold, and its immediate departure upon the first 

 severe frost, render its movements variable, and dependent on the season. It usually 

 leaves the Middle States in October, but in favorable seasons remains much later. 

 In 1846 the fall was a remarkably mild one, and the Soras continued abundant on 

 the Delaware River until the last of November. 



Captain Bendire mentions this bird as being present in Eastern Oregon during the 

 breeding-season; but how abundantly he was not able to ascertain. He only met 

 with it on four occasions, ^h: Gosse informs me tliat it breeds in great num-bers in 

 the wet marshes of Wisconsin, that its nest is constructed of dry grasses, and that 

 this is sometimes partly arched over, but more frequently under broken-down grasses 

 or weeds. The eggs — as he states — are seven or eight in number, and occasionally 

 even more. A nest found in Lynn, Mass., by Mr. Moon, contained nine eggs, and this 

 is said to be the common number. 



Mr. E. W. Nelson, who carefully studied the liabits of this Kail in Northern 

 Illinois, gives the 1st of May as the date of its arrival, and October as that of its 

 departure. He states that it nests along the borders of prairie sloughs and marshes, 

 depositing from eight to fourteen eggs, and that its nest may often be discovered at 

 a distance by the appearance of the surrounding grass, the blades of Avhich are in 

 many cases interwoven over the nest, as if to shield the bird from the fierce rays of 

 the sun — felt on the marshes Avith redoubled force. The nests are sometimes built on 

 solitary tussocks growing in the water, but their usual position is in the soft dense 

 grass growing close to the edge of the slough, and rarely in that which is over eight 

 inches high. The nest is a thick matted platform of soft marsh-grasses, with a slight 

 depression for the eggs. 



In Wilson's day the history of this Rail was very imperfectly known, and some of 

 the information in regard to its habits accepted by him as true was without doubt 

 incorrect. This is especially the case in that Avhich relates to its breeding, all of 

 which really had reference to the Virginia Rail, and not to this bird. I believe that 

 this Rail does not breed anywhere south of the 42d parallel, and that it is very 

 rare there, except in the Northwestern kStates. It breeds from about this parallel to 

 the 62d, in favorable places, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. The breeding of 

 this bird was not known to Wilson, Audubon, or Nuttall, and the young and eggs 

 referred to by the first two belong to another species ; Dr. Bachman's notice of a 

 nest found on the Hudson has reference, however, to this bird. 



The Sora breeds in fresh-Avater marshes, on small dry or elevated tussocks, and 

 in the middle of tufts of coarse herbage. Its nest is usually a mere collection of 

 decayed rushes and coarse grass loosely aggregated, and not admitting of removal as 

 a nest. The eggs are from seven to twelve in number. Instead of the creamy-white 

 ground of the Virginia Rail, this egg has one of a light drab-color. The markings 

 are spots of a roundish shape, and are all of a uniform dark rufous tint. The form 

 of the egg is also quite different, it being oblong oval, equal at either end, and differ- 

 ing from that of Rallus virgiyiianus in all respects, and in so marked a manner as to 

 be at once distinguishable from it. No. 536, from Concord, Mass., measures 1.38 by 

 .88 inches, and is remarkably oblong. Two eggs (No. 1272) obtained by Mr. Goss in 

 Minnesota are much more rounded, and have the larger end more obtuse. These 

 measure, one 1.18 by .90 inches, the otlier 1.15 by .91 inches. 



