268 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



have bestowed this power upon these birds for some good purpose, 

 as well as upon other animals. Captain Lyon, in speaking of the 

 Arctic fox, states that "it is a singular fact that their bark is so 

 modulated as to give an idea that the animal is at a distance, al- 

 though at the very moment he lies at your feet;" and he supposes 

 that these foxes are gifted with this species of ventriloquism in 

 order to deceive their prey as to the distance they are from them. 



THEIR FOOD, ETC. 



The soras, like the rice-buntings, are excessively fond of the 

 seeds of the Zizania aquatica, or wild reed, that grows in such 

 luxurious profusion along the muddy shores of many of our rivers, 

 and will be found secreted in the midst of these flourishing plants 

 as soon as they have acquired their full growth. The Zizania 

 aquatica grows to a great height and spreads over immense tracts 

 of tidewater shores, extending for miles along the rivers, and 

 oftentimes rising to a height of ten or twelve feet and the sterna 

 so strong and closely interwoven with each other that they defy 

 every effort to propel a boat through them. The seeds of this 

 plant begin to ripen, in the Eastern and Middle States, early in 

 August, and the rails soon find their way to the different rivers 

 whose shores produce it in any considerable abundance. When 

 they first arrive, they are poor and unpalatable, but soon gain 

 flesh, and become extremely fat and delicious to the taste. In truth, 

 we are very partial to this bird, and, when in good condition, prefer 

 it to most other kinds of game; at all events, we can eat more 



