30-1 Sketches of Some Common Birds. 



and studied with any degree of profit. Its position among 

 rails is no mean one, as is indicated by its proud title of 

 "king rail," and its neat, trim figure, its handsome attire 

 and noble bearing are all comprehended in its specific 

 name of elegans ; it is the elegant rail both in name and 

 in fact. 



The home of the king rail is the swamps and marshes 

 in eastern, southern, and middle United States. It is 

 found as far west as Colorado, and frequently wanders as 

 far north as southern and western Canada and the Dako- 

 tas. It is the fresh water representative of the clapper 

 rail, which is so common on the salt water marsheg of the 

 Atlantic coast. It makes its way into the swamp-lakes 

 of this region early in April, and finds a congenial sum- 

 mer home until the latter part of October. It dwells 

 almost entirely in the swamps and meadows bordering 

 them, living in such privacy that the untrained observer 

 might spend whole days in the swamps and not be sensi- 

 ble of its presence, except from the sharp cries it utters 

 and the nests which he might happen to find. Indeed, 

 the extreme wariness of the rail is the first characteristic 

 which impresses the mind of the student who is forming 

 its acquaintance. 



It is quite averse to taking wing, and it is so thoroughly 

 at home in the watery, flag-covered tangles that only 

 close pursuit by men and dogs can force it to rise from its 

 hiding places and seek safety in flight. It prefers to run 

 through the weeds and brake, where it can hide from 

 threatening danger, skulking among the thickly growing 

 tufts of flags, and gliding between the close, upright stems 

 with the celerity of some of the smaller sparrows in their 

 movements through the grass of the meadow. If its j^ur- 

 suers begin to close in upon it, it does not hesitate to run 

 out into the deeper portions of the swamp, and sometimes 

 it dwells in the parts of the swamp where it can not wade 

 without having most of its body under the water. I have 

 frequently seen one plunge boldly into water where it cer- 

 tainly could not wade. It is said to swim readily, and 

 sometimes to walk on the bottom where the water is above 

 its head in search of its food. 



The king rail has a wonderful ability to secrete itself in 



