298 BULLETIN 135, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



feeble wing beats, legs dangling close to the water, and the worm still in its bill. 

 It landed feebly and awkwardly, sitting down in the water before scrambling to 

 its feet and elevating and depressing its short tail. 



The courtship song and many of the calls have already been de- 

 scribed, but the vocabulary of this bird is so extensive that it would 

 be impossible to include it all here. Brewster (1902) describes a. 

 common call as a "rapid succession of low yet penetrating grunts not 

 unUke those of a hungry pig," and he states that the grunting is- 

 emitted by both sexes. He also says that, ''The female when anx- 

 ious about her eggs or young also calls 'hi-Jci-M^ and sometimes 'Jciu'' 

 like a flicker." 



W. E. Saunders (1918) says: 



The tone of the calls of the young resembled the squeaking of a door hinge 

 and the vocal sound was "kee-a" the final syllable being very short, while in the 

 case of the old birds, the first syllable was so short as to be inaudible at any 

 considerable distance. 



The small size of this rail, its long curved bill and its rich brown 

 wings and underparts make its recognition in the field comparatively 

 simple. 



Game. — While the sora is shot in great numbers for sport, the Vir- 

 ginia rail is rarely sought for this purpose. Its flight is so feeble that 

 no skill is required to kill it, although a few are occasionally picked 

 off by snipe shooters. In former days this bird was sometimes to be 

 seen exposed for sale in the markets. 



In their southern migrations in the autumn with ranks recruited 

 by the summer's broods, the Virginia rails are more easily seen than 

 in the spring and their course is a more leisurely one. At this time 

 of the year I have occasionally found them in the salt marshes of the 

 coast. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southern Canada, the United States, and Central America 

 south to Guatemala. 



Breeding range. — North to British Columbia (Beaver Creek, ChilU- 

 wack, probably 158-mile House and Okanagan); Montana (Columbia 

 Falls and Great Falls); Saskatchewan (Indian Head); Manitoba 

 (Shoal Lake, Chemawawin, Reaburn, and Winnipeg); Minnesota 

 (Leach Lake and Millelacs Lake) ; Wisconsin (Madison, Kelley Brook, 

 and West Depere); Michigan (Douglas Lake, Bay City, Pontiac, and 

 Detroit); Ontario (Wellington and Waterloo Counties, Kingston, and 

 Ottawa); Quebec (Montreal and Quebec); New Brunswick (Scotch 

 Lake and St. John); and Nova Scotia (Kentville). East to Nova 

 Scotia (Kentville) ; Maine (Fryeburg) ; Massachusetts (Boston) ; Rhode 

 Island (Newport and Quonochontaug); New York (Shelter Island 

 and New York City); New Jersey (Ocean County and Cape May); 



