2S2 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



mischievous, the little wren has already completed one 

 nest and will doubtless build several more before his 

 mate arrives, but when she does come, she will spurn 

 them all and start a new one of her own. 



As one watches the wren he may be surprised by a 

 loud call on the far side of the tangle: "Ticket, ticket, 



Photograph by A. A. Allen. 



HE CALLS FOR YOUR TICKET 



Ticket ticket ticket, is one of the spring calls of the Virginia Rail 

 that one hears often but seldom traces to its source. 



ticket, ticket," as though an admission fee were to be 

 charged before one could see further secrets of the 

 marsh. It is one of the notes of the Virginia rail but 

 it will take some careful stalking before one sees the 



Photograph by A. A. Allen. 



THE WATER CHICKEN COMES HOME 



The Florida Gallinule or Water Chicken is responsible for many 

 strange sounds that emanate from the marsh. 



slender dark brown bird with a rather long reddish bill 

 sneaking between the cat-tails, its short tail cocked up 

 like a little brown hen. It is difficult to make it fly unless 

 one corners it and even then it may dodge back between 

 ones feet rather than trust itself on its rather feeble 

 wings. A little later one may be startled by loud cluck- 

 ing sounds and then an almost ear splitting, "WUP-PUP- 



PUP-PUP-pup-pup-pup" announces the presence of a 

 Florida gallinule or water chicken, a bird of the size of 

 a small bantam, slaty black in color except for its red 

 bill and green legs. The bill is set off by a large red 

 plate on the forehead and a greenish tip while the green 

 legs are trimmed with little red bands like garters. 



Occasionally one may hear a call that begins like the 

 gallinule's but ends with almost plaintive cooing. "WUP- 

 PUP-PUP-pup-pup-pup-caow-caow-caow-caow," it floats 

 across the marsh and it will probably be a long time 

 before one associates the call with the obscure, timid 

 bird we know as the pied-billed grebe or "hell-diver." 



THE REDWINGED BLACKBIRD DOMINANT BIRD OF THE 

 MARSHES. 



This is a female and she does not have the red shoulders. 



It is a little early yet to look for its floating nest and even 

 later when the bird is incubating it will be almost impos- 

 sible to find it, so much does it resemble the small plat- 

 forms of debris thrown up by the muskrats, for the 

 mother bird always covers her eggs before leaving the 

 nest so that passing enemies will not discover them. 



The red-winged blackbirds are scolding all about one, 

 and one expects to find many of their nests. It is still too 

 early, however, for although it is a month and a half since 

 the first redwings were seen, the females that are to nest 

 in this marsh are just arriving and the males are welcom- 

 ing them. Whenever a female in her streaked coat appears, 

 she is pursued by several males, now close against the 

 water, now high in the air as though they must display 

 to her their strength of wing. Again, several males may 

 be seen mounting upward for hundreds of feet, then 





