152 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
the young one was dark slate on the back, below rather lighter, a 
chin patch of bright orange, almost red, bill light horn colour, 
except the base which was red. (Spreadborough.) A well-known 
species in Ontario and more generally distributed than the Virginia 
rail, though apparently not breeding so plentifully in the St. Law- 
rence district. I met with the bird on the Magdalen islands in 
June, 1897, when on the 22nd of that month I found among bull- 
rushes a nest containing six eggs and young ones just hatched. 
The nest was a neat affair constructed of last year’s reeds and fas- 
tened to the stalks, in water that was knee-deep and only a short 
distance from a sandy bar that divided a large pond from the sea. 
The first nest I found in 1895, near the St. Lawrence, was built of 
grass-stalks in a tussock, where there was not much water. We 
have therefore three species, the two rails and the American bittern 
that vary their nesting location as well as the material they use, 
thus showing that one must have considerable experience before 
laying down as hard and fast facts, the site’and construction of 
nests. (Rev.C. J. Young.) Two nests seen in the vicinity of Ottawa 
were fixed to the reeds in marshes like those of the red-winged 
blackbirds. They are not so deep, however, and are made of dry 
reeds. One was found in a tussock of grass. (Garneau.) Found 
breeding in small numbers in wet meadows or sloughs near Crane 
lake, Sask., and Many Island lake, Alta. (A. C. Bent.) Found 
breeding at Reaburn, Man., and Buffalo lake, Alta. (Dzippie.) 
In a marshy lake grown up with Carex aristata, within a couple 
of miles of Crane lake, Sask., the writer took a number of nests of 
this species on June gth, 1894. The nests were near the water 
and constructed of dead Carex leaves. The eggs ranged in number 
from nine to sixteen and were but slightly incubated. 
215. Yellow Rail. 
Porzana noveboracensts (GMEL.) BAIRD. 1845. 
July 13th, 1900, I flushed five yellow rails in the marsh at Beacon 
point, near York Factory. They were in open grassy places. I 
heard about a dozen but was unable to flush more than five. B el 
recorded this species from Fort George on the east side af Hudson 
bay. (Preble.)) Rare in autumn in Nova Scotia. (Downs.) 
Migrant in Nova Scotia. (H. F. Tufts.) A rare autumn visitor 
