RAIL SHOOTING. 133 



has been entirely beaten down by storms, we 

 have flushed rail which have flown away from 

 the skiff in zig-zag lines, like snipe. When the 

 reeds are in this condition, the birds may be 

 readily seen running and feeding on either side 

 of the boat, or arranging their plumage as quietly 

 as pigeons on a roof. We have often watched 

 their motions for ten minutes at a time, to the 

 great discontent of the pusher, who, like the rest 

 of his class, devoutly believed in the proverb, 

 that "a bird in the boat was worth two in the 

 reeds." On one occasion we saw a gun which 

 had been inadvertently loaded with powder and 

 wad only, discharged at a rail engaged in plum- 

 ing itself; the bird did not even discontinue 

 the business of the toilet, and was killed by the 

 second barrel without moving from its position. 



In regard to the rail's being occasionally sub- 

 ject to epileptic fits, superinduced by paroxysms 

 of rage or fear, no satisfactory case of the kind 

 has ever come under the immediate notice of the 

 author or his editor. We were, however, shown 

 a bird during the past season, which was said to 

 have been shot at and apparently killed, but 

 afterwards revived and was found to be wholly 

 uninjured. It lived in good health for several 

 weeks. One of the persons in the boat which 



