NORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 349 



A similar colony near Philadelphia is described by Richard F. 

 Miller (1910). Dr. Thomas S. Roberts (1879) found several nests of 

 this species in a large, reedy slough near Minneapolis. 



They were placed in patches of old, wild-rice stubble, and were built up on a 

 floating foundation of reed and rice stems, so as to be high enough to keep the 

 inside of the nest dry. Coarse rushes and reeds were used in building, much of 

 the material being so long that only one end entered into the construction 

 of the nest, the remainder hanging in the water. 



Alexander Sprunt, jr., writes to me that he tinds the Florida galli- 

 nules breeding, about May 1, in two locaUties near Charleston, South 

 Carolina. 



One of these is a large fresh-water reservoir about 17 miles to the northwest 

 of Charleston. A large expanse of about several hundred acres is flooded, and 

 has a rank growth of various water plants, some of these tracts forming veritable 

 floating islands, some hundreds of yards in length and width. There are also 

 numerous floating logs which have a growth of weeds and grasses springing 

 from the exposed sides, and floating almost stationary in the masses of duck- 

 weed which cover the water for large areas. The Florida gallinule abounds 

 here. I make the trip to this locality each year, and have always been rewarded 

 by the finding of several nests. The large majority are placed very near the 

 water, sometimes under a growth of weed on the floating islands, or saddled 

 upon one of the semisubmerged logs, usually near one end. This situation is 

 rather a favorite one. At times the log may change its position by a distance 

 of several rods, making the nest a travehng one, to a certain extent. All the 

 nests I have found are composed of dried, half-decayed leaves, and stalks of 

 aquatic plants, sometimes the bottom of the nest being quite damp, so close is 

 it to the water. 



A rather unusual type of nest was found on May 2, 1914 in this same res- 

 ervoir. It was placed on the top of a dead stump, about 2 feet from the water, 

 and surrounded by a growth of willows. In the rice field sections this species 

 seems fully as partial to wampee (Pontederia cordata) as does the purple galli- 

 nule, and I have found many nests, about 1 foot from the water, made of decayed 

 leaves of wampee, and attached to the stems of the growing clumps of the same 

 plant. The graceful arrowhead leaves of this plant, the beautiful green color, 

 and the general setting of such a nest makes a wonderful picture. However, 

 other situations are chosen. Sometimes one finds the nests along the banks of 

 the rice fields, amid a thick tangle of briars, grasses, and vines, but always within 

 a few feet of the water. 



Snakes take toll of both the eggs and the young, and are a constant menace. 

 Crows, too, rob the exposed nests at frequent intervals. One thing that always 

 interested me is the complete indifference with which this species regards an in- 

 vestigation of its nest. Time and again have I had the adults within a few feet 

 of me while photographing the nest, and examining the eggs. This would not 

 be so strange if it were not for the air of utter unconcern on the part of the bird. 

 Walking about on the decayed vegetation, picking up food here and there, within 

 f) and 8 feet at times, clucking and chuckling in its peculiar way, they stroll 

 about as if there was no enemy, human or otherwise, within miles. 



My own experience with the nesting of this species has been rather 



limited. In Texas we found it breeding on some of the deep ponds 



near Brownsville, while we were hunting for nests of the Mexican 



grebe, on May 23, 1923, wading in water waist deep or more. These 



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