106 



North American Birds Eggs. 



Their ne^ts are woven of strips of rushes or grasses, and are well "cupped" to 

 receive the eggs. They are on the ground on the border of. or in, marshy 

 places. Mr. Childs has a tine set of eight eggs, taken bv Arthur T. Wavne, at 

 Mt. Pleasant. S. C, June 10, 1908. The nestVas located in an oat field. The 

 eggs have a creamy white ground, and are specked all over with reddish bro\vn. 

 Size 1.08 X .75. 



[216.1.] Farallone Black Rail. Porzuiui nitvrninilu^. 



Known only from a single specimen, which is slightly smaller than j<iiii((i- 

 coisis and without the white specks on the back, 



[2 I 7. J Corn Crake. Crcx crex. 



This European Rail is casually found in Greenland and along the Atlantic 

 coast of North America. It is the most abundant of European Rails and is 

 found breeding in marshes, meadows and along streams. 



2 18. Purple Galiinule. lonornh martii 



■M 



Range. 

 States to 



— Sout 

 Massac 



1 Atlantic an Gulf 

 husetts and Ohio. 



.-v<r' 



Buff.] 



States; casually north in eastern United 



A very handsome bird with purplish head, 

 neck and under parts, and a greenish back. 

 Like all the Gallinules and Coots, this spec- 

 ies has a scaly crown plate. An abundant 

 breeding species in the southern parts of its 

 range. Its nests are made of rushes or grasses 

 woven together and either attached to living 

 rushes or placed in tufts of grass. They lay 

 from six to ten eggs of a creamy or pale liuff 

 color sparingly blotched with chestnut. Size 

 1.(30 X 1.15. Data. — Avery's Island, Louis- 

 iana, May 7, 1896. 10 eggs. Nestof dry rushes, 

 woven to standing ones growing around an 

 '•allisator hole*' in a marsh. Collector, 

 E. A.'"McIlhenny. 



2 19. Florida Galiinule. Gall inula (j((Icata. 



Range.— Temperate North America, from 

 New England, Manitoba and California, 

 southward. 



A grayish colored l)ird of similar size to 

 the last ("13 inches long), with Hanks streaked 

 with white, and with the bill and crown 

 plate reddish. They nest in colonies in 

 marshes and swamps, building their nests 

 like those of the Purple Galiinule. The 

 eggs, too, are similar, but larger and slightly 

 duller. Size 1.75x1.20. Data.— Montezuma 

 marshes, Florida, June 6, 1894. 11 eggs. 

 Nest of dead flags, floating in two feet of 

 water. Collector, Robert Warwick. 



[Pale buff. 



