NORTH AMEBICAN MAKSH BIKDS 277 



river. I never again heard my pair of birds, nor did I see them, but Mrs. Can- 

 field had the good fortune of getting within 20 feet of her pair. Both were 

 swimming in the running water at the time, and appeared by their actions, to 

 be getting in line. As she has but a single-shot collecting gun, the thought 

 struck her that possibly both rails could be obtained at the same shot. Unfor- 

 tunately the rails observed her before the time to shoot occured, and she got 

 neither. 



In regard to the voices of these birds — I had, but a few weeks before, been on 

 the rail marshes in the vicinity of San Diego Bay and had heard Rallus levipes 

 clacking. I was therefore quite surprised at the thinner, higher note of the voice 

 of Rallus yumanensis, which is pitched at least three notes higher. However, it 

 descends the scale as do the voices of other clapper rails of my acquaintance. 



It is my opinion that the center of abundance of this rail is in the delta of the 

 Colorado River, but that, during the flood time, which usually occurs in May 

 and June of each year, the lower reaches of the river are made uninhabitable 

 for the nesting of this bird and they annually come up the river seeking suitable 

 localities in which to nest. It so happened in 1921 that the water was unusually 

 high and hence the rails that formed the type series, now in the Dickey collection, 

 were obtained unusually far up the river. Again, in 1924, the river was above 

 normal, and rails were observed in the marshes above Potholes. It appears that 

 these birds only come as far from the delta each summer as suitable nesting 

 grounds are to be found. Hence their occurrence at these northern stations 

 during periods of excessively high water. This phenomenon might well be 

 responsible for the bird's extending its range into the vast tule marshes now 

 growing in Imperial Valley, California, though as yet no definite records of this 

 species have been forthcoming from that region. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — "So far as known, the fresh water riparian strip along the 

 Colorado River above Yuma, and adjacent irrigation canals in the 

 vicinity of Laguna Dam" (Dickey 1923). 



BALLUS LONGIROSTRIS CREPITANS Gmelin 

 CLAPPER RAIL 



HABITS 



In the salt water marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, from 

 southern New England to Texas, the clapper rail, in its various forms, 

 has been a widely distributed,woll known, and conspicuous feature, 

 though more often heard than seen; its loud clatter is still often heard 

 in many places, but its popularity as a game bird and as an egg pro- 

 ducer has greatly thinned its ranks; it no longer exists anywhere in 

 anything like the astonishing abundance described by the earher 

 writers. Audubon (1840) boasted of having collected as many as 

 72 dozen eggs in one day. He says further: 



In the Jerseys, it forms almost a regular occupation to collect the eggs of this 

 bird, and there I have seen 20 or more persons gathering them by thousands 

 during the season; in fact, it is not an uncommon occurrence for an egger to 

 carry home 100 dozen in a day; and when this havoc is continued upwards of a 

 month, you may imagine its extent. The abundance of the birds themselves is 



92642— 26t 19 



