THE OOLOGIST 



209 



KING RAIL IN ILLINOIS. 



The seeker after nesting data 



of this swamp-loving member of the 

 "RalUis" family, would scarcely choose 

 the eastern part of Illinois as a basis 

 for field operations. 



A trip through this (Champaign) 

 county would discourage the most op- 

 timistic Oologist were he bent on ac- 

 cumulating information concerning 

 Swamp birds or desirous of adding 

 their sets to his collection. 



We are unfortunately situated 

 (from a bird student's point of view) 

 in regard to swamps, being on a sort 

 of divide, with our water courses run- 

 ning away in each direction, North, 

 South, East and West. No swamp 

 could exist under our present drain- 

 age system and we must be content 

 with a few small ponds as the only 

 representatives of the glorious 

 swampy past when our parents could 

 wade into the ooze places and come 

 forth with aprons and baskets leaden 

 with Duck eggs. Ye Gods! When I 

 hear mother tell of hatching a pair 

 of Sandhill Crane eggs under a Tur- 

 key — such treasures picked up in the 

 fields like so many potatoes and right 

 where our felds of ccrn now wave in 

 the winds, I feel that I appeared on 

 this terrestrial ball about a third of 

 a century late. 



But the King Rail loves us yet and, 

 although we have digged our ditches 

 with no thought or care as to his fu- 

 ture existence, he apparently forgives 

 our selfishness and contentedly ac- 

 cepts the huts we grudgingly leave 

 him in lieu of the spacious mansions 

 he might so easily find elsewhere. This 

 reads along quite prettily of course, 

 but how does it sound when I con- 

 fess that two months ago I was not 

 aware of the facts stated above — that 

 the King Rail still nested with us. 



It is really laughable and yet it Is 

 a matter of chagrin with me, when I 



review my numerous trips to sur- 

 rounding counties, including a long 

 journey to the Illinois river bottoms 

 in search of "Rallus elegans" in his 

 home, to find five nests here in June, 

 under my very nose and the one of my 

 photo illustrations, in less than a mile 

 of my store, where, during many sea- 

 sons, I have dashed forth at the "call 

 of the wild" — filling my stolen hours 

 with Ornithological experiences. 



Although always recorded in my 

 note book — "King Rail — summer mi- 

 grant — formerly a breeder," I have 

 a suspicion that "Kingus Railus" has 

 been a summer resident these many 

 years, and 1, only ignorant of his hab- 

 its. 



And is it any wonder? I found no 

 l)hotos of either bird or nest in my li- 

 brary. :My Bird books contain so lit- 

 tle information about this bird that 

 one might easily consider. him rare 

 desiderata. .lob's Water Birds illus- 

 thate neither King Rail nor nest. Nei- 

 ther is it found in Raine's nesting 

 of Water-birds. Reed's splendid Egg 

 book was perused in vain for photos 

 of this common water bird. Through 

 all the periodicals of years I hunted 

 for the simplest data concerning his 

 nesting and found the few notes far 

 from satisfactory. Mr. Abbott of Chi- 

 cago published in the Sept. 1908 Oolo- 

 gist the only valuable notes concern- 

 ing this bird that I was able to un- 

 earth. 



The old stereotyped assertion that 

 the King Rail is "very shy" is incor- 

 rect, says Mr. Abbott. I am ready to 

 agree with Mr. Abbott. My exper- 

 ience of .June 10, 1909, when I was 

 forced to lift the female from the first 

 nest I had ever found, would sfcin to 

 contradict the "shy" claim. 



The only shy actions exhibited were 

 on my part after the angry little fe- 

 male had drawn blood from my hand 

 by a vicious stab from her sharp i)i'ak. 

 I must needs get this vision of lier 



