NORTH AMEBICAN MARSH BIRDS 301 



City, November 6, 1891, and Dennis Creek, December 30, 1895; and 

 Pennsylvania, Erie, October 28, 1893, Chester County, November 7, 

 1879, and Harvey's Lake, November 18, 1911. 



Early dates of fall arrival are: South Carolina, Mt. Pleasant, Sep- 

 tember 21; and Louisiana, southern part, October 1, 



Egg dates. — Southern New England and New York: 62 records, 

 May 14, to August 6; 31 records. May 24 to 31. New Jersey and 

 Pennsylvania: 12 records. May 17 to July 17; 6 records. May 23 to 

 June 10. Michigan and Wisconsin: 18 records, May 21 to June 24; 

 9 records. May 30 to June 9. Utah and California: 12 records, 

 April 3 to Jime 22; 6 records. May 20 to June 3. Washington: 6 

 records, April 1 to June 10; average May 1. 



PORZANA PORZANA (Linnaeus) 

 SPOTTED CRAKE 



HABITS 



Contributed by Charles Wendell Townsend 



The spotted crake, according to Dresser (1871) inhabits Europe 

 generally during the breeding season, ranging further north in the 

 eastern than in the western part. In the autumn it migrates south- 

 ward, and is found commonly in winter in northern Africa; and in 

 Asia it is met with as far east as eastern Siberia. Its only claim to 

 inclusion here is that it occasionally visits Greenland. Hagerup (1891) 

 says it is "A rare visitor in South Greenland, Benzon's collection 

 contains a skin from Julianeshaab, dated 1878." 



Nesting. — It generally selects a wet place for its nest which is some- 

 times surrounded by water. Dresser (1871) says: "The nest of the 

 spotted crake, resembling that of the water rail, is a careless, 

 bulky structure of flags, dried reeds, and leaves of aquatic plants, 

 hned with finer material.'' Selby (1833) says: "Its nest is built 

 amongst the thick sedges and reeds of the marshes, and from the foun- 

 dation of it being frequently placed in water, is composed of a large 

 mass of decayed aquatic plants interlaced, with the hollow neatly 

 formed and comfortably lined." 



Eggs. — The eggs are from 8 to 12, or even 15 in number and, accord- 

 ing to Dresser, " are oval in shape, the surface of the shell being smooth 

 and rather glossy. In ground color they are warm ochraceous, or 

 dull ochraceous marked with fine dots, with violet-grey shell markings 

 and reddish brown spots and blotches, which are tolerably regularly 

 scattered over the surface of the shell." Witherby's Handbook (1920) 

 gives the measurements of 100 eggs as averaging 33.62 by 24.57 

 millimeters ; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 37.5 by 24.8, 

 33 by 26.8, 29.1 by 23 and 32 by 22.2 miUimeters. 



