FLORIDA GALLINULE 



MAY 18, 1 902. We were walking in 

 the McCormTicks' ravine when I 

 chanced to see a bird sitting perfectly still 

 on a high crotch of a maple. We all 

 viewed it through our glasses as long as 

 we wanted to. Saw the leaden black 

 breast and the brilliant red patch above the 

 bill. It never moved, except to turn its 

 head now and then for, I should think, 

 twenty minutes. It looked like a rail, but 

 I had never heard of one such an extraor- 

 dinary color. Finally John and John 

 Case threw stones to make it fly, but it 

 simply craned its neck over to look at 

 them. They banged the tree with a big 

 stick, but it would not budge. Finally as 

 we were turning to go it crept stealthily up 

 the sloping branch of the tree, and settled 

 itself in another position, where we left it, 

 and hurried home to look up our remark- 

 able bird. It uttered no sound of any 

 kind. 



[50 



U. OF ILL 



