L'GS 



VERTEBRATA. 



l.inl, r»>ii<u-aliiiLj itsflt" in the coarse Jicrbago of the )iiarslies, and taking wing witli nluctance. 

 While in the Soutliern States it frequents the rice-fields, rivulets, and Iresh-water ponds, in eoni- 

 ]>aiiv with the Kioriihi species. It is oeeasionally seen in tlie Middle and Southern States. 



The Flokida (iALLiNtLE, G. t/uhutu, closcly reseuibles the European species, already described, 

 as Well as the .lavatiese species, O. ardosiaca. It is fourteen inches long, and is common in the 

 West Indies aiul Florida; accidental in the Middle and Northern States in summer. 



Gtnus Fl'LR'A : FuHca. — This includes several species, called Coots, which rescmLle the gal- 

 linules, but they are more exclusively adapted to an aquatic life ; they live in salt as well as fresh 

 water, and arc seldom seen on the land. They are nocturnal in their habits, the old birds being 

 rardv seen by day ; they walk awkwardly on the land, and take wing with difliculty ; sometimes 

 they dive into the mud rather than rise from the water. 



The Common- Coot of Euroi)e, F. ntra, is sixteen inches long ; whole plumage sooty-black, 

 tinged with slate-color, though white varieties are sometimes seen. It is widely distributed over 

 Ivirojie and Asia ; stationary in EnglaTid. 



The Cinereous Coot, F. Americana, is similar to the preceding, and was formerly supposed 

 to be the same species ; it is found in all the temperate parts of North America, and breeds over 

 an extent of fifty degrees of latitude. The nest is secreted among the rank herbage on the sur- 

 face of the water, and contains about eight eggs. The food consists of insects and mollusca, 

 with abundance of gravel. During the winter it migrates southward, but only so far as may be 

 necessary to obtain food ; during this season they accumulate in the inundated, marshy districts 

 of Florida in immense numbers, where they are very noisy, chattering by night and day. 



Genus IIALLUS : Rallus. — To this belong the True Rails. The Common Water-Rail of 



Europe, R. aquaticus, is 

 eleven and a half inches long, 

 olive-brown above, dull gray 

 V \ J Ij below ; it is found in marshy 

 \^\ )|\,>Ah' districts, and delights to dwell 

 Ml among the rank vegetation 

 -- of shallov/ pools and water- 

 courses. If surprised, it flies 

 a short distance with its legs 

 hanging down. It feeds on 

 worms, snails, slugs, and veg- 

 etable matter. The nest is 

 made of sedge and common 

 grass, on the ground ; the eggs 

 arc six to eight, and spotless 

 white. It is common through- 

 out the southern parts of Eu- 

 rope and some portions of Asia, where it is stationary ; a few are seen in Northern Europe in 

 summer. 



There are several American species of this genus. The Virginia Rail or Mud-IIen, R. Vir- j 

 f/inianus, resembles the European water-rail ; it is nine and a half inches long ; black, sprinkled i 

 with brown, above ; rufous beneath ; feeds on worms, aquatic insects, fish, small mollusca, and ' 

 seeds ; lives along fresh-water streams and in morasses, and is occasionally seen on the sea-coast. 

 It is migratory, and has a sharp cry, frequently uttered at night during the breeding season. The 

 nest, situated in the wettest part of a marsh and fixed upon a tussock of grass, contains six to ten 

 ^ggs, of a dirty white. It is found in the entire temperate portion of North America. i 



The Clapper Rail or Salt-Water Marsii-Hen, R. crepitans, is fourteen inches long ; above { 

 black, spotted with olive ; beneath rufous ; resembles the preceding, but is larger. In the course 

 of its spring migrations northward, in the hours of twilight, it is often heard on its way uttering 

 Its loud, harsh cry. This becomes almost incessant after it has settled in its marshy tenement, I 

 and is particularly vehement before a storm. 



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ri/fi^y^'M^ 



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COMMO.V EUUOPEAX WATEU-RAIL. 



