Second Series. 



Vol. I. No. 2. 



Second Quarter, 1905 



A MAGAZINE OP NORTH AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY 



Published Quarterly at Floral Park, N. Y. I Price. $1.00 Per Year. 30 Cents Per Copy 



Published Aplii 2oth John Lewis Chiids, Editoe 



Plate III. Eggs of the Little Black Rail 

 breeding OF THE LITTLE black rail, Porzana jamaiceiisis 



IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 

 By Arthur T. Wayne 



ON June 10th, 1903, a small negro boy came to me and said he had found 

 eight eggs in a nest on the ground in an oat field, which was nearly cut 

 over by a reaping and binding machine drawn by three mules. I questioned 

 him closely and asked him if the eggs were unspotted as I supposed they 

 were, of course, Partridge eggs, Colinus virginianns. He said the eggs were 

 spotted and looked like Redbird's eggs, Cardinalis cardinalis, but added that 

 he saw no bird on the nest and left the eggs undisturbed. When the boy 

 adhered to his story that the eggs were spotted I immediately knew that the 

 nest was that of the extremely rare Black Rail and I hastened with gun and 

 collecting basket to the oat field which was less than one-fourth of a mile 

 from my house. 



He had not marked the spot where the nest was by any sign, therefore 

 we had to hunt for it most carefully. I, at last, found it, and to my delight 

 actually saw the female on the nest. It can be readily imagined with what 

 pleasure I saw the parent incubating the eggs, as I was the first person who 

 had ever seen this secretive bird actually on her nest ! My first impulse was 

 to catch her alive on her nest, and this could have been very easily accom- 

 plished as I was within an inch of her and with my hands outstretched it 

 would have been a very easy matter to catch her. But I thought I would 

 let her go and learn something of the song, habits and flight of these rare 

 birds. Upon touching her she ran a short distance, then flew into a portion 



