NORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 289 



Behavior. — Mr. Scott (1889) writes: 



They are confined, so far as I am aware, to the salt-water marshes, and about 

 Tarpon Springs are abundant the year around. They do not app>ear to be as 

 retiring in their habits as are their congeners, aad are frequently to be seen feed- 

 ing at low tide on the exposed banks of mud and sand. At such times they are very 

 tame and unsuspicious, and may be approached within a few feet. If alarmed 

 they run to the neighboring shelter of coarse grass of the salt water marsh bnt 

 presently return to feed, even though the intruder remains close at hand. Now 

 and then one or two may be seen swimming some narrow arm of the bayou, and 

 several times I have found pairs at least 300 or 400 feet from shore, swimming 

 about and apparently feeding on some small fish or Crustacea. 



N. B. Moore says in his notes: 



I once measured the footprints of the clapper rail, made on a smooth and naked 

 sand bar, over which it had passed at night. I found the interval between them 

 for several steps to be 19 inches. It would be fair to suppose that these were 

 impressed when the bird ran at its utmost speed. Even then this extent of 

 reach is suprising when the shortness of the tarsus is called to mind, it being in 

 the largest birds only 2% inches; besides, I do not think this species uses its wings 

 in running, as some birds are known to do. 



This length of stride is rather remarkable for so small a bird; Mr. 

 Moore found that the longest stride of a sandhill crane measured 193^ 

 inches and the average was about 15 inches; and the longest step 

 he could find of the great blue heron was only 19J^ inches. 



During the winter and spring of 1924 and 1925 we found these 

 rails very common in all the numerous salt-water marshes that we 

 visited on the Gulf coast of Florida from Tarpon Springs to Tampa 

 Bay, living in the localities so well described above. They were more 

 often heard than seen, but occasionally one would show itself on the 

 open mud flats near the edge of the reeds, or, more rarely, one could 

 be flushed from the dense tangles of sharp pointed reeds. I believe 

 that they live, at certain seasons, among the red mangroves, where 

 on several occasions I saw them feeding on the muddy shores of small 

 ponds, far from any reedy marshes. I never succeeded in finding an 

 occupied nest, though I spent considerable time in exploring suitable 

 marshes. 



Mr. Pennock writes to me: 



Along the St. Marks River, for 7 miles up its length, to the confluence with 

 Wakulla River, l}/^ miles below the little village of St. Marks, such conditions 

 of marsh, as are above described, do prevail and continue along the main stream 

 close up to the fish houses. On both sides of these two rivers the open marshes 

 maintain from one-half to over a mile in width, with numerous wide draining 

 creeks which under ordinary weather conditions have wide, bare mud flats on 

 either shore at low tide. In such localities the " salt-water " rail can be observed 

 most readily. The brooding bird, from late March until June or later, hurries 

 along the border of the reeds or scurries out toward the water's edge, pecking 

 here and there for a tidbit or tarrying long enough to probe successfully for a 

 burrowing fiddler crab and then hustling along for further repast, all quite in the 

 manner of a barnyard "setting hen." Later the brood of sable chicks tag along 



