1 68 Sporting Sketches 



southward migrations depend somewhat upon the 

 weather, as it is rather delicate. It reaches our 

 marshes in May, and the first sharp frost starts it 

 southward. An intelligent examination of the rail 

 will detect one of Nature's beautiful adaptations to 

 certain conditions. The general yellowish brown, 

 striped color-effect curiously blends with the stems 

 of reeds, rice, and other water-loving growths. The 

 deep, narrow body appears to have been specially 

 designed to secure an easy passage through thick- 

 standing cover, while the strong legs and long, wide- 

 spreading toes combine swiftness with the ability to 

 lightly trip over floating foliage which would not 

 support a bird having feet of the average size. The 

 flight of the rail apparently is such a feeble, flutter- 

 ing, shortly sustained effort, that one is apt to puzzle 

 over the question of how the bird possibly can trav- 

 erse the great distances over which its migrations 

 extend. It may be that the toilsome journey is 

 judiciously divided into easy stages, but it is more 

 probable that the birds select favorable weather, rise 

 high, and are borne in their chosen direction by 

 moderate winds. Well-authenticated instances of 

 rails alighting upon ships far out at sea tend to 

 substantiate this theory. 



The color, form, and foot render the rail an 

 extremely difficult bird to obtain a fair view of, 

 or to cause to take wing in many of its haunts. 

 Through thick growth it can glide like a field-mouse, 

 while over the surface of a pond it can rapidly trot, 

 though apparently treading upon nothing more 

 stable than the surface of the water. It can swim 

 and dive fairly well, and if driven to extremity, it 



