190 Braislin, Florida Gallinule Nesting near New York. [am'1 



of identification, and that we let it go until too late ; and since then 

 we have never searched for the nests, although we heard the birds 

 during the spring and summer months. Our attention was first 

 attracted to them by the noise they made. They have a harsh, 

 strident call, and sometimes it could be heard all evening and 

 well into the night. Investigating to ascertain the cause of it, we 

 saw that it was a large, dark-colored bird, which I took to be the 

 Gallinule. I asked my brother about his recollection of the facts, 

 and he said that the principal thing he remembers is this: the 

 birds he saw had a bright red lump on the front of the head. This 

 would indicate that it was the Gallinule. It is certain that the 

 birds seen were either Gallinules or Coots and, as previously 

 stated, I think both have bred there. The ponds in which they 

 breed are deep, with muddy bottom and overgrown with cattails. 

 To seek the nests is dirty exhausting work and I have passed 

 the period of enthusiasm that has led me many times to put on old 

 clothes and literally swim through such places. Therefore the 

 information I give may not be such as would establish a positive 

 record but, as Mr. Dutcher can tell you, my experience is such 

 that you may consider the information as reliable as it could be 

 without the dead birds to prove it. The birds were in the ponds 

 this season (1903), as I heard them on many occasions. The 

 locality frequented by them is thickly populated and you would 

 no doubt be astonished to think birds would breed there. How- 

 ever, we have taken nests of both Sora and Virginia Rails and 

 of the Least Bittern in the same ponds." 



In company with the Messrs. Hendrickson as our hosts and Mr. 

 John N. Drake the near by salt marshes were visited in the summer 

 of 1904, and these repaid our investigation in yielding several 

 nests, among them one of the Virginia Rail. 



The ponds where the nest was taken were likewise pointed out 

 to us, but not explored at this time. These ponds were originally 

 part of the salt meadows but were laid out into streets and city 

 blocks, years ago, and the streets themselves filled in, so that 

 they stand at a considerably higher level than the marsh land. 

 The ponds thus formed by the intersecting streets, and having no 

 outlets, have become partly filled with rain water so that they are 

 now stagnant muddy pools of nearly, or quite, fresh water. The 



