316 BULLETIN 135, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



brook, October 26, 1904; Vermont, Bennington, November 11, 1904; 

 Massachusetts, Monomoy Island, October 2, 1887, Harvard, October 

 19, 1907, and North Trm-o, October 20, 1889; Rhode Island, Black 

 Island, November 22, 1912; Connecticut, Middletown, October 18, 

 1914, East Hartford, October 19, 1888, and Portland, November 5, 

 1894; New York, Branchport, October 1, 1905, Canandaigua, Oc- 

 tober 3, 1905, Shelter Island, October 5, 1893, Geneva, October 10, 

 1914, Sing Sing, October 16, 1885, Phoenix, October 17, 1885, and 

 Ithaca, November 9, 1907; New Jersey, Pennsville, October 23, 1914; 

 Pennsylvania, Renovo, October 4, 1894, Berwyn, October 16, 1909, and 

 State College, October 25, 1916; Maryland, Patuxtent River, October 

 24, 1916; North Carohna, Raleigh, October 30, 1891; South Carohna, 

 Charleston, October 26, 1911; Georgia, Kirkwood, October 14, 1899; 

 Alabama, Coden, December 2, 1916. 



The earliest arrivals in Porto Rico were noted on October 8, 1922, 

 and the last to leave in the spring were observed on March 25, 1921. 



Casual records. — The sora also has been observed or taken at 

 several points beyond its normal range. A specimen was found dead 

 at State College, New Mexico, on August 27, 1912; another was 

 found on the ice at the terminal moraine of Arapahoe Glacier, Colo- 

 rado, at an altitude of 12,000 feet, in September, 1903; it has occur- 

 red in summer at Massett on the Queen Charlotte Islands, at Anti- 

 costi Island and St. Joachim, Quebec. It has been reported from 

 Newfoundland and there are several records of occurrence in Green- 

 land, Avigait, September 30 (year?), Sukkertoppen, October 3, 1823, 

 and Umanak. It also has been detected in England, near Newbury, 

 Berkshire, in October, 1866; Wales, Cardiff, in 1888; and in Scotland, 

 Tiree Island, October 25, 1901. 



Egg dates. — Southern New England and New York: 50 records, 

 May 7 to July 26; 25 records. May 24 to 30. Quebec: 8 records. 

 May 29 to June 26. Michigan and Wisconsin: 27 records. May 16 

 to June 28; 14 records. May 26 to June 6. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, 

 and Alberta: 19 records. May 31 to July 23; 10 records, June 9 to 

 23. California, Utah, and Nevada: 11 records, April 23 to June 25; 

 6 records. May 23 to June 9. 



COTURNICOPS NOVEBORACENSIS (Gmelln) 

 YELLOW RAIL 



HABITS 



This beautiful little rail, perhaps the handsomest of all our rails, is 

 a most elusive bird. Although it has a wide distribution at certain 

 seasons, ranging from Nova Scotia to California, it is seldom seen and 

 is one of the least-known of this elusive group. Most of its life his- 



