Notes on the Habits of the Breeding Water Birds 75 



The almost monotonous sameness of character of this 

 bird's haunts prohibits it any indulgence in variation in 

 selecting its nesting sites. Its bulky platform of water- 

 soaked and decaying marsh grass stems is always placed as 

 high above the mud as the height of the vegetation will 

 permit, but in spite of this, many eggs and young fall 

 victims to spring tides. Besides this menace, this bird has 

 other enemies to contend with. Fish Crows {Cfyrvus ossi- 

 fragus), Raccoons (Procyou lotor) and Minks (Mustela 

 visori lutensis) take heavy toll, and hundredsiare shot every 

 year by gunners for food. Mortality from all causes, how- 

 ever, does not thin the ranks of this marsh-dweller. In 

 fact I believe it is yearly becoming more abundant. Pro- 

 lificness, and the unchanging aspect of its haunts due to 

 the fact that they are untit for agricultural or other uses 

 and are therefore not being reduced in area, are the chief 

 factors in its increase, rendering its extinction unlikely. 



The breeding season commences early in April and is 

 frequently prolonged through July if repeated mishaps to 

 the eggs liave occurred. Althougli I have examined many 

 nests of this rail I have never found one that contained 

 more than eleven eggs. Seven to ten seems to constitute 

 the usual complement, as far as my observations go, al- 

 though I have no doubtl that larger sets are frequently laid. 

 On April 18, 1915, in an area of short marsh grass on Cab- 

 bage island that is frequently flooded, I found seven eggs 

 which had been deposited simply on the soft mud, no evi- 

 dence of a nest being noted. Although the marsh had not 

 been flooded since the eggs were deposited, tlie latter were 

 cold and apparently deserted. No doubt the female was 

 compelled to lay before she had time to construct a nest. 

 The eggs of this bird exibit little variation in ground color 

 or the color and size of the spotting. The former is quite 

 constant, being a deep buff, while the markings are usually 

 ^~ small, rounded and quite well defined; brown and lilac, 

 and generally scattered over the entire surface. 



This bird is quite an item in the food supply of i)eople 

 living on the "salts," particularly negro fishermen. Num- 

 bers of the latter have assured me that tlie eggs also are 



