56 



THE OOLOGIST 



College collection, secured in 1899. It 

 is the only certain record I have. 



20. Sora 



Quite common and regular in mi- 

 gration. One specimen in my collec- 

 tion met a common fate of rails when 

 he collided with a telephone wire. 

 What fun I have had chasing the 

 evasive little fellows through the 

 matted vegetation of the creek side! 

 I remember one in particular that I 

 just chanced to detect as it glided 

 among the water plants. I dashed 

 after him full tilt, whereupon he also 

 dashed, and, being hard pressed to 

 an open water front, took wing and 

 dropped into an impenetrable mass of 

 weeds about fifteen feet away. Gone, 

 you bet! 



21. King Rail 



A large handsome rail, quite surely 

 of this species was flushed from the 

 weeds by the combined efforts of six 

 of us fellows who literally beat him 

 out of his cover. The specimen was 

 not secured. 



22. Coot 



Common irregularly. A bird was 

 picked up exhausted near a cement 

 walk in Bethany in the spring of 1915. 

 I had him in captivity for a day or 

 two, after which time he got loose 

 and flew easily and directly over the 

 housetops and away. Another indi- 

 vidual was run into a musk-rat bur- 

 row, and there captured. 



23. Am. Woodcock 



Reported to have nested formerly, 

 but I have found no nests. However, 

 I recorded the species in the summer 

 of 1917, in a most likely nesting place, 

 and there was another there in the 

 summer of 1918. Three specimens 

 were sent in by hunters during my 

 residence in the county. 



24. Yellowlegs 



Recorded once on April 30, 1916. It 

 was unusually tame, and permitted a 

 close approach. When we came too 



near it waded out into the swift ripples 

 up to its belly, and then took reluct- 

 ant wing. With a volley of clear 

 whistles it wheeled about and alighted 

 nearer than before, after which it left 

 for good. 



25. Solitary Sandpiper 



This species has presented a baffling 

 problem to me. Strangely enough my 

 notes show that I have seen it re- 

 peatedly in the spring and all during 

 the summer months, — never but once, 

 a pair together, and almost invariably 

 near a certain low pasture field. It 

 seems a bit outlandish to consider it 

 a nester and yet I shall not be much 

 surprised if it proves to be such. The 

 bird is peculiarly clean cut and grace- 

 ful in its flight, and is one of the most 

 elegant and refined little fellows of 

 his tribe, dainty in every pose. 



26. Bartramian Sandpiper 

 Recorded three times; once in mid- 

 summer. For one who knows the call 

 of the 'plover' on the Texas prariries, 

 this bird in a northern clime has a 

 strange enchantment. 



27. Kildeer 



Common summer resident, and ir- 

 regular through fall and winter. A 

 flock of about forty chose to remain 

 an entire winter season on a high ridge 

 above Bethany. During chill snow 

 flurries they ran back and forth on 

 the damp grass huddled up and calling 

 to each other uneasily. Two pairs 

 occupied the same pasture land in the 

 following spring and raised two broods. 



28. Bob-White 



Seemingly of irregular occurrence. 

 I have record of but two nests though 

 the birds surely nest wherever found. 

 Coveys of large number were seen 

 twice, but 1 could not keep them un- 

 der observation, to see how they fared. 

 The stomach of an adult female red- 

 tailed hawk contained the feathers and 

 feet of this species. 



29. Ruffed Grouse 



