DELAWARE VALLEY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 29 



cackled her alarm at my intrugion, but it was impossible to see 

 her. Hiding myself amid a dense clump which afforded a view 

 of the nest I waited and watched for over twenty minutes for 

 the bird to emerge, but I waited in vain. During my watch 

 she continually cackled all around me, quite well aware of my 

 presence and doubtless also of my intention. Suspicious, wary 

 birds, possessed of more cunning and intelligence than the stupid 

 Least Bittern — for a ten minute wait would suffice for one of the 

 latter birds to approach its nest. Though I had not the pleas- 

 ure of observing the bird as I wished, I learned to know its 

 noisj' cackle better than ever. 



On this afternoon I found another Gallinule's nest, in a dif- 

 ferent part of the marsh, situated amid a large, dense patch of 

 <;attails seven feet liigli) huilt just like the others. It contained 

 only four eggs, two collected and preserved as they were rotten 

 and worthless to the birds. The other two were pipped, and the 

 point of the bill of a young bird protruded through the shell of 

 one. The old bird was seen closely and well. She was absent 

 when I found the nest and I was about to leave it, having tom- 

 pleted my examination, when she put in her appearance. She 

 was terribly excited and solicitous for the safety of her home, 

 and judging from her peculiar actions she was coming straight 

 toward her nest unaware of my presence, for I heard an alarmed 

 series of guttural cackles and glancing in the direction whence 

 they came I spied the bird not more than ten feet away behind 

 a screen of rushes. She was in the water, uttering series after 

 series of incessant cackles. She splashed, dove and jumped about 

 and ran apparently on the surface with drooping wings, the ob- 

 ject of the whole performance being evidently to attract and 

 divert mj' attention from the nest. When she realized that all 

 her clever tricks failed to deceive me she swam quietly about in 

 small circles, but continued cackling. I endeavored to approach 

 closer, but she quickly divined my intention, and ere I had ad- 

 vanced three steps she swam rapidly awaj^ and disappeared. 



Some accident undoubtedly befel this bird's nest, for the 

 Florida Gallinule seldom or rarely lays less than seven or eight 

 eggs in a clutch. 



About one hundred and fifty feet from this spot I found an- 



