THE PIGEONS, GROUSE, AND SHORE-BIRDS. 235 



thick bills, shorter than the head, and feed more on vegetable 

 matter. The only one of the group common enough to be of 

 any special importance is the Carolina rail. Thousands of the 

 latter are killed annually in the Atlantic States for market. 

 They feed largely on seeds in the fall, when they become fat 

 and are excellent eating. They are a diffused species, breeding 

 from the Middle States northward. 



THE GALLINULES, COOT, AND CRANES. 



The gallinules resemble the rails in their habits and appear- 

 ance ; they are larger than most rails, however, and are dis- 

 tinguished by a horny plate, or shield, which extends from the 

 bill upward over the forehead. Their food is not noticeably 

 different from that of the genus Porzana of the rails. The 

 PURPLE GALLINULE is a resident of the South Atlantic and Gulf 

 States. The FLORIDA GALLINULE is found throughout the warmer 

 portions of the country, frequently reaching New England. 

 Both are called mud-hens by gunners. 



The term mud-hen is also applied to the COOT, which is 

 allied to the gallinules, having the same outline and frontal 

 shield. It is peculiar in having lobate toes, which enable it to 

 swim easily. Most of its time is spent on the water along 

 marshy shores, where it finds shelter among the tall grass and 

 reeds. Its food consists of insects, aquatic plants, and small 

 mollusks. Its flesh is frequently eaten, though generally it is 

 not highly esteemed. 



The cranes are large waders resembling the herons in out- 

 ward appearance, but differing from them in structure and 

 habits. The WHOOPING CRANE is chiefly a migrant, moving up 

 and down the Mississippi Valley with the changing seasons; 

 it is an omnivorous feeder. Audubon found these birds in 

 November tearing up lily-roots from the bottom of a dry pond. 

 Again in the same month he says, ' They resort to fields, and 

 feed on grain and peas and dig up potatoes, which they devour 

 with remarkable greediness." In April they had left the fields 



