382 ORALLY. RALLIDyE. 



the whole company dashes into the cover. Here 

 they continue to call to one another ; but if much 

 pressed, they lie close, or conceal themselves in 

 some way, so as to elude search even in a very 

 small area ; probably by keeping under water, hold- 

 ing on the roots of the rushes. But if the ob- 

 server remain quite silent and concealed, in about 

 half an hour the cluck is again raised, and they 

 begin cautiously to re-emerge, and play at the 

 margin of the reeds. I think the sense of sight 

 is less acute with them than that of hearing. 



One which I slightly wounded, on my carrying 

 it by the legs, repeatedly turned up its head to 

 bite ; its force, however, was insufficient to break 

 the skin, though it could pinch a little. Another 

 in similar circumstances, I also found vicious in 

 its attempts, though ineffective. On arriving at 

 home, I wished to observe its manners in the water 

 more closely, and for this purpose I fastened a 

 cord to its foot, having bandaged it to prevent its 

 being hurt or cut, and then let it swim in the 

 pools of Bluefields River. Its first impulse was 

 to dive, and then to swim along about a foot be- 

 neath the surface, which it did for a considerable 

 distance, aiding its progress by striking out, not 

 only the feet, but also the wings, which were ex- 

 panded. It thus reminded me of a turtle. When 

 immerged, the whole plumage was coated with a 

 pellicle of air, which had a singular and beautiful 

 effect. When it swam at the surface, little of the 

 body but the back was exposed, and sometimes 

 only the neck and head. It made constant efforts to 



