THE TWIN ISLANDS. 169 



tlie pure air that has entered their lungs, and count that 

 something of an offset to their " loss of time." 



Herein lies one merit of Twin -island Eend ; we are 

 out of sight and hearing of man's industry. Nature, 

 ever busy in her own wise wny, has the region wholly 

 to herself, and I encroach upon her domain merely as an 

 eager spectator. 



As I rested, still sitting in the weed-surrounded boat, 

 I looked down the opening in the rank growth of aquat- 

 ic plants made by the skiff, and saw upon the oj^posite 

 shore a common rail-bird, or sora. The popular idea of 

 this curious bird is that of a morsel of tender flesh, that 

 conveniently awaits slaughter, late in September, after 

 some weeks of fattening on the seeds of the wild-rice. 

 But the sora is something else. It is a bird that puzzles 

 every one who closely follows it. That many settle in 

 the valley of the Delaware during the sj)ring migration 

 is unquestionable; they do not, however, remain and nest 

 here, as I supposed, but passing on, leave us until the 

 middle of August, sometimes earlier, and then remain 

 until the frosts of October drive them away. My im- 

 pression that they nested here arose not merely from 

 the fact of finding them in May and August, but the 

 nests of the little black rail were occasionally found, and 

 attributed to the wrong species. I am glad to be able 

 to record this fact, as it gives us an additional species. 



Considering them collectively, we have then the fol- 

 lowing species : the king-rail, the Virginia, the sora, the 

 little yellow, and the still smaller black rail. In the or- 

 der of their abundance, of course, the sora leads, and to 

 8 



