King Rail 307 



The king rails generally begin to nest about the first of 

 May, but soon after the middle of April in unusually dry 

 seasons. In the latter instances the nests are made in tufts 

 of flags or grass on the dry ground, frequently in parts of 

 the swamp which are used as feeding grounds for herds of 

 cattle. Sometimes the nests on the dry ground are made 

 like the home of the meadow lark, a convenient depression 

 being found in a tuft of grass, in which a bed of dried grass 

 is spread, and the upper ends of the stems drawn together 

 to serve as a canopy. The presence of the shelter, made 

 by the drooping and drawing together of the tops of the 

 stems, is a pretty certain index of a nest with its full 

 complement, though I have frequently examined nests 

 with incomplete sets thus sheltered. The eggs in a com- 

 plement number from eight to fourteen, sets of ten, eleven, 

 and twelve being the most common. They are a dingy 

 cream color, having small spots of varying shades of brown, 

 and deeper shell markings of light purple scantily and 

 irregularly distributed over the surface anywhere, some- 

 times more thickly at the larger end. In size the eggs 

 vary from 1.55 to 1.90 long, and from 1.16 to 1.29 broad 

 in inches. 



It is not unusual to find a king rail in her canopied 

 home sitting contentedly in the shade of the reedy walls, 

 and the first glimpse of her brown form will amply com- 

 pensate us for the difficulties encountered in reaching her 

 home. If we are not over hasty she will give us time to 

 impress on our memory a picture that we may recall with 

 pleasure. She does not regard the fact that we are only 

 three feet away, and bending over her with eager eyes. 

 She is not frightened, but interested, and the expression 

 of wonder in her face plainly asks what sort of creature 

 are we. She broods her nest lightsomely, turning her 

 head to watch us with wondering look. Thus we observe 

 her long cylindrical bill, so well adapted to procuring her 

 food in the mire and shallow water. 'Soon she glides from 

 her nest, and with easy motion runs among the adjacent 

 reeds, passing between the base of the stems with such 

 facility that we at once note her compressed body, and 

 hence understand more fully the meaning of the expres- 

 sion, "as thin as a rail." She does not go far, but turns 



