324 Sketches of Some Coiiwion Birds. 



from their duties of incubation and ignorant of our pres- 

 ence. Frequently one will chase another with dignified 

 ardor, skimming over the water with light, graceful move- 

 ments, slightly nodding the head when in easy motion, 

 though at times of greater animation they extend the 

 head and neck forward at full length. We seldom see 

 them dive, for they take most of their food from the sur- 

 face of the water and from the floating vegetation. How- 

 ever, when occasion demands it, they can dive easily, 

 though it is chiefly when winged and unable to fly that 

 they manifest this power. It is said that they sometimes 

 dive in their eff'orts to elude the swift descents of rapa- 

 cious birds. 



They are not rapid swimmers, but sit buoyantly with 

 the body well out of the water, and glide along as easily 

 and adroitly as ducks. From their prevailing dark hue 

 when seen at a distance, and also from their facility in 

 aquatic movements, they are styled "crow ducks " in some 

 localities. Like the grebes, in their vigilance they fre- 

 quently turn the head from side to side to glance over 

 their surroundings. They are less noisy than the galli- 

 nules, and we seldom hear them utter anything except a 

 sort of "cluck," frequently used as they follow one another 

 over the water, aud also as a note of alarm. The most 

 of the noises of the swamp are made by the gallinules 

 and rails. 



Wishing to procure a specimen for closer examination, 

 our companion, who always carries a gun when he goes 

 hunting, is soon afl'orded an opportunity. At the first 

 shot the birds near the border scatter like a bevy of quail, 

 hurrying away with patting, splattering feet and whirring 

 wings, though only a few of them rise so that their feet 

 do not touch the water. They alight several hundred 

 feet away, and swim yet farther off, turning their heads 

 sidewise to watch for pursuers. Our specimen is about 

 the size of a chicken two-thirds grown, and its prevailing 

 color is a dark slate. The legs are yellowish green, and 

 the iris, already fading, is bright crimson. We are 

 especially interested in the structure of the feet, for they 

 are not webbed like those of a duck, but the toes have 

 deeply scalloped or lobed membranes, not united, which 



