224 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAISr. 



tion, as the marshes are occasionally overflown during the con- 

 tinuance of a Northeast gale, and thousands of eggs as well as 

 old Birds are destroyed. 



Wilson mentions an instance where this calamity took place 

 twice during one season, and notwithstanding these sad misfor- 

 tunes, this persevering Fowl commenced building anew the 

 third time, and in two weeks their eggs appeared as numerous 

 as ever. On these occasions, hundreds of Mud Hens are de- 

 stroyed by the ruthless hands of idle boys, and even grown 

 persons, many of whom avail themselves, as before observed, 

 of every opportunity to take the lives of the inferior animals, 

 from a mere love of cruelty, or the gratification of a monstrous 

 propensity for shedding blood. 



The Clapper Eail swims with ease, and dives with great ra- 

 pidity, often remaining under the water for several minutes at 

 a time, holding on to the roots of the marine plants that grow 

 at the bottom of the inlets and guts that intersect the marshes 

 whereon these Birds congregate. 



It is almost impossible to flush them, and the only chance 

 the Sportsman has to shoot them is by going on the marshes 

 in a light boat during a high tide, when, from want of shelter, 

 they are obliged, like the Soras, to seek safety in flight, and 

 are then easily knocked over. When the tide is not sufficiently 

 high for this sport, many may be killed by moving noiselessly 

 along the guts, in a boat, and keeping a sharp lookout on all 

 sides for the many Clappers that will ever and anon be seen 

 stealing down to the water's edge, to drink or pick up the small 

 shell-fish and aquatic insects that are deposited upon the banks. 

 A good Retriever would prove a useful Dog in these expedi- 

 tions, to recover and bring to hand the wounded Birds, as when 

 only slightly struck the Clapper Rail is very tenacious of life, 

 and runs with so much ease through the reeds and matted grass, 

 that few Sportsmen, no matter how agile they may be, can 

 overtake them. The Dog should be as small as possible, other- 

 wise he will not be able to follow the Bird through the twist- 

 ings of the pathways, or rather archways that are formed all 

 through the reeds by the wanderings of this Bird. 



The flight of the Clapper Rail is very similar to that of the 

 Sora, and being, if anything, even more slow and labored, it 



