1002 



AMERICAN 



"THIN AS A RAIL" 



The bodies of rails are compressed like fleas to enable them to slip better 



through the dense vegetation. 



sneaking up on some wary in- 

 sect or luckless tadpole. 



They are never so cautious, 

 however, with their voices and 

 some of the most startling sounds 

 that ever come from the marshes 

 can be traced to them. Their 

 ordinary calls are somewhat hen- 

 like : cut-cut, or cak-cak, but oc- 

 casionally they give vent to a 

 startling, wup, pup, pup, pup, 

 pup, pup, or wup-wup-wup . 

 Like the rails they are especial- 

 ly noisy early in the morning 

 and at dusk, and occasionally 

 they break out in the middle of 

 the night. 



Coots and gallinules build their 

 nests of dried rushes close to 

 the water level in the marsh 

 vegetation, the coot usually in 



FORESTRY 



deeper water than the gallinule and in more open situa- 

 tions. Often they have to add to their nests during 

 periods of high water to keep the eggs dry. The eggs 

 are buff in ground color, rather evenly marked, the spots 

 on the coot's eggs being smaller and blacker than on 

 those of the gallinule. 



The young birds are covered with black down when 

 hatched, the coots being curiously ornamented with a 

 fringe of orange whiskers. They are able to run and 

 swim shortly after hatching and follow their parents 

 about, hunting for food. It is an interesting sight to 

 a family of gallinules threading their way along the 

 border of a marsh, the old ones continually calling and 

 the young constantly peeping so that they will not get 

 lost. As though to give the young something to follow, 

 the old birds continually flash their white under tail 

 coverts as they jerk along. At times the young get tired 

 and crawl up on the back of the mother or again she calls 

 them all to her and broods them for a while on little 



FINAL INSTRUCTIONS 



The two Virginia rails are about to exchange places on the eggs and Mrs. Rail is giving the last word 



of caution to her dutiful consort before he takes his turn. 



BACK ON THE JOB 

 The Gallinule is incubating and has ruffled its feathers to keep cool. 

 neit is built up from the water with dead rushes. 



The 



platforms of rushes or temporary nests which she con- 

 structs. 



In the southern states another species of gallinule is 

 found. It is much brighter in coloration and thus gains 

 for itself the name of purple gallinule. It is not so 

 seclusive as the Florida gallinule and in shrubby marshes 

 often climbs up on the bushes to bask in the sun. 



Of the rails the commonest and best known is the 

 Virginia rail, a bird about the size of a robin but of very 

 different shape with its small head, long bill, and long 

 legs. In general color it is dark brown, somewhat 

 streaked on the back and redder on the breast, the flanks 

 being barred with black and white. It is found even in 

 small marshes, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, nesting 

 from the Middle States to Ontario and British Columbia, 

 and wintering from the southern part of its breeding 

 range to Central America. It is often heard but seldom 

 seen for it is rather difficult to flush even when one fol- 



