94 BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. 



Sp. Chak. Adult: Above bright olive-brown, with longitudinal spots of black, some 

 of the feathers edged with white ; top of head with a long longitudinal stripe of black ; ante- 

 rior portion of head, with chin and throat, black; sides of head and n;ck (except as de- 

 scribed), chest, and breast light plumbeous; abdomen white; anal region and crissum 

 creamy white or pale buff; flanks sharply barred with white and slate-color. Youhg: 

 Similar, but lores and superciliary stripe brownish, the chin and throat whitish; rest of 

 neck, with chest and breast, light brownish. Bill greenish yellow (more orange, espe- 

 cially at base, in summer adults); iris brown; legs and feet greenish. "Do^rny sJo^e— chick 

 a few days old; Bill short, exceedingly depressed, high at base, rapiiily tapering, the tip 

 deflected. The whole body densely covered with dull black down, beyond which are 

 produced abundant long, glossy, black hair-Uke filaments. Upon the thi-oat is a tuft of stiff, 

 coarse bristle-like feathers of a bright orange-color. These are directed forward, and give 

 the bird a most singular appearance. (From a specimen in my cabinet collected at Cam- 

 bridge, Mass., June 24, 187J.) This bird, although the only specimen of the kind nowat band, 

 is one Ota large brood which was attended by the female parent. Several of the others 

 were distinctly seen and closely examined at the time. All had a similar orange tuft upon 

 the throat." [Bkewstee, in £»?;. Nntt. Orn. CTw6, January 1879. p. 48.] 



Tlie mo.st abundant and most universalh' known bird of its 

 genus iuhabitiug- the United Sta.tes, and variously' known as 

 the "Rail,"' "Sora," or "Ortolan," according: to locality-. It is 

 especially numerous along,' the creeks and rivers on the Atlantic 

 during the autumnal migration, when excursions for obtaining 

 it are a favorite amu.sement of gunners and sportsmen. It 

 appeal's to inhabit the entire temperate regions of North 

 Amei-ica. There is apparently little, if any, geographical varia- 

 tion noticeable in a large series of specimens, and the principal 

 individual variation consists in the extent of the black on the 

 throat, which in some examples extends back as far as the middle 

 of the abdomen. 

 Mr. Nelson thus describes the nesting habits of the Sora: 

 " Exceedingl}' abundant summer resident in all marshy situa- 

 tions. Arrives the first of May and departs in October. Nests 

 along the borders of prairie sloughs and marshes, depositing 

 from (>ight to fourteen eggs. Their nest may often be discovered 

 at a distance by the appearance of the surrounding grass, the 

 blades of which are in many cases interwoven over the nest, 

 apparently to shield the bird from the fierce rays of the sun, 

 which are felt with redoubled force oU the marshes. The nests 

 are sometimes built on a solitary tussock of grass, growing in 

 the water, but not often. The usual position is in the soft, 

 dense grass growing close to the edge of the slough, and rarely 

 in grass over eight inches high. The next is a thick matted 

 platform of marsh grasses, with a medium-sized depression for 

 the eggs." 



