320 Burtcu, Nesting of the Florida Gallinule. [sais 
the male called kr-r-r-r-k, kr-r-r-r-k, and she answered, krup’. 
The nest was exposed to the hot sun, as I had cut some of the flags 
away, and she stood in the nest with her feathers ruffled, panting 
and trying to pull the flags around her, and frequently uttered a 
low ku ku ku. 
At 10.50 she went to the edge of the nest and drank some water, 
arranged her feathers a few minutes then slid into the water and 
swimming rapidly away met and passed the male as he came 
swimming towards the nest. He did not go on the nest at once 
but maneuvered around until 11 o’clock, then as he was going on 
I released the shutter of my camera and he jumped back and 
scolded. Again he cautiously approached and then retired again. 
Once again he came and was all settled on the nest at 11.10. How- 
ever he appeared rather suspicious, stretching out his neek and 
swaying his head from side to side, his dark red eyes shining and 
his tail flipping as he scrutinized the blind. 
At 11.30 the female called kr-r-r-r-k from way out in front and 
was answered from the nest by the male. At 11.40 she uttered 
conversational notes then the creak and was answered by the male 
with explosive base notes in a low tone. She kept up the conversa- 
tional notes until the male called rather impatiently. Then she 
appeared at 11.45 and they changed places, she going on to the 
nest immediately after he had left it. I remained in the blind 
until 12.15 when my movements alarmed her and she left the nest. 
July 3, we had another hard rain and when I visited the blind 
the afternoon of the 4th, more green flags had been added to the nest 
raising it several inches higher. 
July 5, I arrived at the blind at 1.30 P.M. The female Gallinule 
was seen back of the nest at 1.40. The wind was blowing hard 
flapping the cover of the blind, which seemed to bother her and she 
came on cautiously, advancing and retiring again several times, 
then she gave a sharp cak’ and swam rapidly to the nest. Behind 
her came the male following her up close to the nest when she went 
on and settled down, then he retired. She spent much of the time 
while she was on the nest in arranging the nest materials and trying 
to pull the growing flags around her. 
At 2.40 she was peering ahead into the water, the nest began to 
move and a turtle appeared close beside the nest. She stood up 
a 
