THE BIRDS OF COBB's ISLAND, VIRGINIA 63 



ing its short excuse for a tail. Its body is very slender, 

 which makes it admirably adapted for threading its way 

 through the labyrinthian pathways of its marshy haunts. 

 Its legs are slim and the bird is a good runner. It can 

 also swim with ease. It is a poor flyer and as a result 

 seldom takes to wing. Hunters sometimes set the marsh 

 on fire to start the birds from cover. Then when they rise 

 and fly slowly along in their awkward manner thev present 

 a target not easily missed even by an amateur sportsman. 



Members of 

 the rail family 

 are found in 

 many parts of 

 the world, and 

 everywhere they 

 are the same ex- 

 cellent runners 

 and poor flyers. On the Mascarene Islands there once 

 lived a rail which stood seven feet high. Its feathers 

 had brilliant hues and were much sought by sailors who 

 chanced now and then to land on the islands. So the 

 natives hunted the birds far and wide to get the feathers 

 for barter. Such a war was waged that in the end they 

 were entirely exterminated. The last one is supposed to 

 have perished over two hundred years ago. 



