550 Hathaway, Notes on Rhode Island Birds. [bet. 



Since these were recorded a number of specimens have been taken all in 

 summer and fall, as follows: a male and female were shot May 3, 1904, 

 and a male May 9, 1904, all at Eastons Pond, Newport, by Mr. C. B. Clarke. 

 On October 13, 1907, Mr. H. S. Champlin of Point Judith, while searching 

 in the long marsh grass for a duck he had just shot, stepped on and caught 

 a female of this species. This specimen was sent to me in the meat. Mr. 

 C. B. Clarke sent me four birds in 1909 from Point Judith shot on the fol- 

 lowing dates, August 26th, a female, September 3rd, an adult male which 

 was moulting, patches of chestnut being mixed with worn gray feathers on 

 the throat and breast; September 12th, a male and December 12th, a male. 

 With the exception of the one that was moulting the others were in fresh 

 plumage and I think were birds of the year. Mr. Clarke informed me 

 that they were all shot in the " cattails" in the vicinity of a fresh water 

 puddle and from the manner of their occurrence is led to believe that a pair 

 nested. 



Rallus virginianus. Virginia Rail. — This rail nests much earlier 

 than is usually supposed. On June 4, 1906, 1 found a nest at Quonochon- 

 taug with one young and three eggs pipped, which were empty upon my 

 return in an hour. May 26, 1907, a nest was found at Point Judith with 

 eight eggs, four of which were within t wo days of hatching, three would have 

 hatched in four days and one was infertile. May 29, 1910, at Point Judith, 

 with the aid of a dog I caught two young at least two weeks old and 

 another was seen running through the cattails. The eggs from which 

 they were hatched must have been laid late in April. 



Porzana Carolina. Sora. — The Sora is rarer than the Virginia Rail 

 in the breeding season in this state. A nest with fourteen eggs was found 

 June 17, 1906, at Point Judith by H. S. Champlin. The nest was visited 

 again on the 19th when it was found empty, the eggs having hatched in the 

 meantime. On May 29, 1910, I found a nest with nine fresh eggs at Point 

 Judith near a small fresh water pond. It was built in a small clump of 

 " cattails " in a very open spot and readily seen from all sides. 



Coturnicops noveboracensis. Yellow Rail. — The Yellow Rail 

 occurs quite regularly during the fall migration. The following records 

 of birds all secured at Point Judith are of interest. Mr. C. B. Clarke shot 

 two October 10, 1908, and Mr. William T. Bowler took two more on October 

 15th of the same year. These birds were not saved. October 15, 1909, Mr. 

 Clarke took a male which he sent to me and it is now in my collection. 

 Four were killed in October, 1910, by Mr. William T. Bowler. September 

 30, 1911, a female was shot bj r Air. Charles L. Knowlesin a fresh water run, 

 and on October 1, 1911, another specimen was caught by a dog and one 

 other seen. The last two birds were sent to me in the meat by Mr. I. R. 

 Sheldon who writes as follows. " I do not think the Yellow Rail is any- 

 where near so rare as recorded. Out of thirty rails that I have seen this 

 fall at Point Judith, four were this species, ten Virginias and sixteen Soras. 

 They are very hard to flush and for this reason I think less rare than sup- 

 posed to be. I have caught two birds with my hands." Mr. W. T. Bowler 

 shot one, October 15, 1911, at Newport. 



