LESSER CLAPPER RAIL. 207 



a guttural, creaking tone, almost like the sound of a 

 watchman's rattle, 'kut-a-cut tee-dh, the call sometimes a 

 little varied. At this time, no doubt, his mate was some- 

 where sitting on her eggs, in some tuft of the tall marine 

 grass (Spartina glabra,) which overhung the muddy inlet 

 near which he took his station. The young, for some time 

 after being hatched, are covered wholly with a jet black 

 down, and running with agility, are now sometimes seen, 

 near the deep marshes, straying into the uplands and drier 

 places, following the careful mother much in the manner of 

 a hen with her brood of chickens. When separated from 

 the parent, at a more advanced age, their ^XenAex peep, peep, 

 peep is heard, and soon answered by the attentive parent. 

 The female, when startled in her watery retreat, often utters 

 a sharp squeaking scream, apparently close at hand, which 

 sounds like 'IceeTc, 'heeh, ^JceTc; on once approaching, as I 

 thought, the author of this discordant and timorous cry, it 

 still slowly receded, but always appeared within a few feet 

 of me, and, at length, pressing the pursuit pretty closely, 

 she rose for a little distance, with hanging legs, and settled 

 do>vn into a ditch, among some pond lily leaves, over which 

 she darted, and again disappeared in her paths through the 

 tall sedge, screaming at intervals, as I now found, to give 

 warning to a brood of young, which had at first probably 

 accompanied her, and impeded her progress. 



When seen, which is but rarely, the Virginian Rail, like 

 the other species, stands or runs, with the neck outstretched, 

 and with the short tail erect, and frequently jerked. They 

 are never seen to perch on trees or shrubs, and are most of 

 the time on their feet. Their flesh is scarcely inferior to 

 that of the Common Rail, but their scarcity and diminutive 

 size, relieve them from much attention as game. Late in 

 autumn, a little time previous to their departure, they occa- 

 sionally wander out into the neighboring salt marshes, sit- 



