Rail-shooting 289 



toba and Hudson Bay. Winters in the Gulf states, rarely north 

 to Illinois, and in California. Occurs also in Nevada and Utah, 

 Nova Scotia, Bermuda, and Cuba- 



A diminutive member of the family, rarely seen 

 on account of its secretive disposition, seldom 

 leaving the safe seclusion of the marsh. It has a 

 range from Texas to Hudson Bay, and from the 

 Altantic Coast as far west as Utah and Nevada. 

 The little yellow rail, or yellow-breasted rail, is 

 taken occasionally pretty much throughout the 

 United States, and seems to frequent fresh-water 

 marshes; the bird is not uncommon about San 

 Antonio, the lower part of Louisiana and Florida, 

 and keeps in the cover of the swamps and bayous. 

 It seems to prefer the fresh-water marshes, only 

 rising when forced to, sometimes allowing a dog 

 to catch it. The flight is rather faster than most 

 of the common rail and is said to be more pro- 

 tracted. Its sharp note somewhat resembles the 

 croaking of a tree-frog, a guttural krek-krek. The 

 migrations of the little yellow rail probably are 

 similar to those of other members of the family. 

 The bird has been taken in New England in 

 October and even as late as November. An in- 

 teresting account of this species, in a letter from 

 Mr. George B. Grinnell to Dr. Merriam, appears 

 in Coues' " Manual of New England Bird Life," 

 and I quote it here. 



" I was working a young setter on snipe, on a 

 u 



