186 It AIL. 



To account for these extraordinary phenomena, it has been 

 supposed, by some, that they bury themselves in the mud; but 

 as this is every year dug into by ditchers and people employed 

 in repairing the banks, without any of those sleepers being 

 found, where but a few weeks before these birds were innume- 

 rable, this theory has been generally abandoned. And here 

 their researches into this mysterious matter generally end in the 

 common exclamation of " What can become of them!" Some 

 profound inquirers, however, not discouraged with these diffi- 

 culties, have prosecuted their researches with more success; and 

 one of those, living a few years ago near the mouth of James 

 river, in Virginia, where the Rail or Sora are extremely nume- 

 rous, has (as I was informed on the spot) lately discovered, that 

 they change into frogs! having himself found in his meadows 

 an animal of an extraordinary kind, that appeared to be neither 

 a Sora nor a frog; but, as he expressed it, "something between 

 the two." He carried it to his negroes, and afterwards took it 

 home, where it lived three days, and in his own, and his ne- 

 groes' opinion, it looked like nothing in this world but a real 

 Sora, changing into a frog! What farther confirms this grand 

 discovery, is the well known circumstance of the frogs ceasing 

 to hollow as soon as the Sora comes in the Fall. 



This sagacious discoverer, however, like many others renown- 

 ed in history, has found but a few supporters; and except his 

 own negroes, has not, as far as I can learn, made a single con- 

 vert to his opinion. Matters being so circumstanced, and some 

 explanation necessary, I shall endeavour to throw a little more 

 light on the subject, by a simple detail of facts, leaving the read- 

 er to form his own theory as he pleases. 



The Rail or Sora belongs to a genus of birds of which about 

 thirty different species are enumerated by naturalists; and these 

 are distributed over almost every region of the habitable parts 

 of the earth. The general character of these is every where the 

 same. They run swiftly, fly slowly, and usually with the legs 

 hanging down; become extremely fat; are fond of conceal- 

 ment; and, wherever it is practicable, prefer running to flying. 



