THE WATER RAIL. 



Rallus aqimticus. 



LTHOUGH by no means a rare 

 bird^ being purely aquatic in its 

 habits, the Water Rail is com- 

 paratively seldom seen even 

 in its native haunts by any 

 but the most patient and wary 

 of naturalists. It is ex- 

 tremely timid, shy, and very 

 averse from intrusion ; and 

 the localities in which it 

 moves about are so thickly 

 covered with aquatic herbage, 

 that a momentary glimpse is 

 about the extent of the obser- 

 vation generally obtained. 

 Wonderfully sharp - sighted 

 and acute in its powers of 

 hearing, the Water Rail seeks 

 its food close to the long 

 grass or rushes of ponds, 

 streams, ditches, or slow-run- 

 ning rivers ; it very seldom 

 ventures far from this friendly 

 shelter^ and the slightest noise 



