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362 



ALECTORIDES. 



taken. Its food consists of .small crabs and other minute crustaceans. In tlic 

 latter part of the season it lu'coiiies very I'at, ac(|uires a tine flavor, and is highly 

 esteemed l)y many as food. Mr. Lewis, on tlic other hand ('•American Sportsman," 

 p. 221'), maintains that tlie Hesh of this bird is universally insipid, dry, and sedgy. Uv 

 also speaks of it as being very shy and secret in its habits, and states that he has nut 

 met with it excei)t along tlie salt-marshes of thti sea-sliore and the mouths of large 

 rivers, lie occasionally found it numerous in tin; brackish fens of Long Island, l)iit 

 has noticed it as Ijeing especially abundant along the shores of New Jersey and Dela- 

 ware. It arrives from the south about tlu; middle of April, and its presence is so(jii 

 made known by its very ])eculiar cry or cackle, similar to the well-known notes of the 

 Common Guinea-fowl. Even when these liirds are most abundant in the marshes few 

 of them are to be seen. 



This bird begins to lay about the close of ^lay ; the nest being simple, but artfidly 

 contrived for conceahaent, and having the long grass twisted and plaited over it ii: 

 the form of an arch, so that when tiie ol)servcr is inexperienced the eggs are effeit- 

 ually concealed. The usual nund)er of these is eight or ten, but there are sometimes 

 as many as fifteen. The egg of this l)ird is regarded as a great delicacy, and is 

 eagerly sought for. Sonu'timcs the marshes on which this bird breeds are overiloweil. 

 in consecpience of the long prevalenc^e of easterly gales, and the eggs destroyed in 

 immense numbers. To flush it being almost imjjossible, the only way to obtain it 

 is to hunt it on the marshes in a light boat during the i)revalence of a high tide. The 

 flight of this bird is very similar to that of the Sora Kail, although even more slow and 

 labored, and it is easily brought down when on the wing. 



On the coast of the Carolinas this si)ecies breeds in great numbers, some remaining 

 nearly all the year; but in winter it occurs in smaller numbers, and occasionally, dur- 

 ing the coldest weather, disappears altogether. The number of its eggs is rarely more 

 than seven, and in South ('arolina they are laid as early as the 2oth of April; but. 

 owing, perhaps, to the nests being so often robbed, fresh eggs are found through 

 June. Two broods are usually raised in one season. 



In Jamaica this bird is known as the " Alangrove-hen," it being so named with 

 reference to its api)earance, habits, and haunts. It is said by Mr. Hill to rand>le 

 about with its callow brood, like a hen and chickens. At low water it visits the un- 

 covered flats, and searches for small crabs. Worms, shell-flsh, insects, and Crustacea 

 are its animal food, and the seeds and shoots of aquatic plants form the vegetable 

 portion of its nourishment. As this bird has much of the character of the GalUiwceo; 

 and as the young are able to run and feed themselves as soon as they are hatched, 

 these are, when half grown, as heli)less on the wing as half-fledged ]iordtry. At this 

 age, when feeding on the shoals, they can l)e run down with great facility, and are 

 said to be delicious eating. 



Wilson states that the eggs of this bird are a great delicacy, far surpassing in his 

 opinion those of the domestic hen. So abundant were the nests of this Rail, ai'cord- 

 ing to his observations, that he has known twelve hundred of their eggs to be collected 

 by one man in a single day. Wilson also mentions that on several occasions, when 

 an unusually high tide had flooded the marshes on which these birds were breeding, 

 he has found the dead bodies of the females, who had perished on their nests, 

 strewed along the shore — proving how strong are the ties of maternal affection in 

 this species. He also states that it has a covered pathway through the marshes, 

 under the matted grasses, through which this bird runs in the manner of rats, and 

 by which it esca])es observation. 



Its cries are said by Audubon to resemble the syllables euc-cuc-ciic-cuc-cu-cahOrchhit. 



