140 BIKDS OF THE NEW YOKK CITY REGION 



else a rare migrant in any other type of marsh. Unfortunately 

 the suitable marshes are almost entirely in the immediate 

 vicinity of New York City, and are constantly being drained 

 or filled in to " improve" the neighborhood by providing 

 another slum district on the outskirts of the metropolis. 

 Flushing a Gallinule is very wet and muddy work indeed, 

 but where they are known to breed, patient watching of some 

 open space of water is at length rewarded by a glimpse of 

 one or more birds swimming along the border with bobbing 

 head and cocked-up tail. At such times they can be told 

 from Coot by the bright red frontal shield and yellow-tipped 

 bill, which are whitish in the latter. It is practically impos- 

 sible to distinguish immature birds in life except under favor- 

 able circumstances. Gallinules are much browner. 



Long Island. Uncommon transient. Bred formerly in the 

 marshes of Long Island in several places; these localities now 

 destroyed. At the present time no definite breeding colony known. 

 Our earliest date in spring, May 20, does not represent the arrival 

 of the species accurately. Latest fall date October 28. October is 

 the likeliest month for migrants. 

 ORIENT. Unknown. 

 MASTIC. Unknown. 

 LONG BEACH. Unknown. 



New York State. Rare summer resident formerly at Ossining 

 (Fisher); unknown now. Only one recent record. 



BRONX REGION. One record, October 7, 1905 (Wiegmann 

 and Hix) in a large swamp at West Farms, now long since des- 

 troyed. No suitable habitat is believed to exist in this area 

 at the present time. 



New Jersey. A colony discovered in 1906 in the Newark 

 Marshes by Messrs. Abbott, Callender, and Hann. The only 

 definite arrival date for this colony is April 16, 1910 (Griscom and 

 LaDow). This section of the marshes is now destroyed. In July, 

 1920 Mr. Charles H. Rogers discovered young Gallinules in suit- 

 able marshes east of Kingsland, and in June 1922, adults and nest- 

 lings were seen several times along the Erie R. R. just west of New 

 Durham (Griscom). There is every reason to hope that Gallinules 

 may be found nesting in other sections of the Hackensack Marshes, 



