30 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



other Gallinule nest the same day. It was situated among cat- 

 tails seven feet high. It was twenty-two inches above water 

 at high tide, and was well concealed on nearly all sides by the 

 drooping blades, the tops of which blown over by the wind 

 hung directly over it. It held ten eggs, nine of which contained 

 young birds as was ascertained by gently shaking them and five 

 were actually pipped, the other egg was rotten. All of the eggs 

 were discolored due to nest stain and the advanced stage of 

 incubation. 



The bill of one young bird protruded through the eggshell 

 and as I took it from the nest, the young bird peeped from 

 within. I peeled the shell from around him except a small 

 piece to which adhered the membraneous lining and as this was 

 also attached to the abdomen of the bird I was afraid to separate 

 it from the body. 



He was covered with black down, wet of course, but which 

 when dry must have been soft and downy. Its bill was flesh- 

 colored and its frontal shield (what there was of it) and the base 

 of the bill pale vermilion in color. 



No birds were seen or heard near this nest, though I waited 

 about fifteen minutes, as long as the mosquitoes would permit, 

 for the female to put in her appearance. All of tliese eggs were 

 undoubtedly safely hatched and the young bird probably lived, 

 for on my next visit to this marsh early in July I found the nest 

 empty. 



On the day this nest was found I had the good fortune to ob- 

 serve one of the Gallinules. I was standing on the dump, hav- 

 ing just left the marsh when I spied the bird emerge from a 

 clump of rushes and sedately and slowly walk across an open 

 space of water between two clumps of rushes about twenty feet 

 wide, into the opposite one. It walked upon the thick sphag- 

 num and seemed to rest upon the water. Almost as soon as it 

 left the clump of rushes it noticed me watching it, but evinced 

 no alarm nor did it hasten its progress, but went unconcernedly 

 on, and as it walked, kept up a continual hen-like cackle. After 

 it had disappeared into the patch of rushes I pursued it, always 

 guided by its guttural cackles, for about five minutes in another 

 vain effort to flush it. The bird seemed to realize my purpose 



