l6o MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB 



85 [214] Porzana Carolina (Linn.). 

 Sora ; Carolina Rail 



Common summer resident ; March 20 to October 13. 

 Eggs : June 9 to 11. 



These birds are more common than the Virginia Rail and their whistled 

 ker-wee may be heard during the spring in the same fresh marshes. They 

 have in addition a variety of short clucks and whistles heard especially in the 

 autumn. I have also occasionally found them in September in the salt marshes, 

 at Ipswich. 



They may at times be seen running rapidly along the surface of floating 

 vegetation, hiding in dark corners when alarmed and skulking off through the 

 glass, or if hard pressed and taken by surprise flying a few feet with drooping 

 wings and dangling legs to disappear again in the grass. 



There is a mounted bird of this species, partially albinistic, in the Brown 

 Square Hotel, in Newburyport, that was shot in that neighborhood. 



86 [215] Porzana noveboracensis (GmeL). 

 Yellow Rail. 



Rare transient visitor; September 30 to October 13. 



Nuttall, in 1834, says that "according to Mr. Ives, they are frequently met 

 with [in the autumn] in the marshes in the vicinity of Salem." l There are four 

 specimens in the Peabody Academy collection, from Ipswich and North Beverly, 

 all taken in the fall ; one in Mr. W. A. Jeffries' collection was taken at New- 

 buryport, October 13th, 1877; and one is reported as taken at Topsfield, in 

 1 88 1. 2 I have never found them, but the white patch on the wings would at 

 once distinguish them in flight. 



[216] Pozana jamaicensis (Gmel). Black Rail. On the clear, calm, moonlight night of 

 July 4th, 1903, I had just gone to bed at 9.45 p. m.. when there sounded, apparently but a few 



1 Thomas Nuttall : A Manual of the Ornithology of the United States and of Canada, vol. 2, p. 

 216, 1834. 



2 [Editor] : Ornithologist and Oologist, vol. 6, p. 64, 1881. 



