288 The IVater-fowl Family 



bers. The negroes on the James River often 

 employ fire-lighting, and the birds are struck 

 with a paddle as they come in view of the light. 

 While high water is generally essential for the 

 regular methods of hunting, a dog is used some- 

 times to flush them, in places where the grass is 

 not too thick. Unless killed, the birds are very 

 difficult to retrieve, running and hiding, if neces- 

 sary diving a short distance under water. The 

 characteristic clucking note is often the only evi- 

 dence of their presence, and this can frequently 

 be heard by throwing something into the grass, 

 an indignant response to the disturbance. With 

 the first indications of cold weather the Carolina 

 rail passes south, and after the first frosts of 

 October the more northern marshes see them 

 no more. 



YELLOW RAIL 

 (^Porzana noveboracensis) 



Adult male and female — Upper parts, glossy yellowish buff, the 

 feathers broadly tipped with black and intersected by narrow 

 bars of white ; breast, buff; belly, whitish ; flanks, dusky, with 

 narrow bars of white ; axillars, lining of the wing, and exposed 

 portion of secondaries, white ; bill, greenish, dull yellow at its 

 base ; iris, brown ; feet and claws, pale flesh color. 



Measurements — Length, 6 inches; wing, 3.25 inches; culmen, .50 

 inch ; tarsus, i inch. Specimens from the same locality show 

 considerable variation in size and markings. 



Eggs — Usually six in number ; buff, with blotches of pale brown, 

 both fine and large; measure i.io by .80 inches. 



Habitat — Breeds from Maine and Minnesota, possibly Pennsylvania, 

 Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Kansas, north to Mani- 



