AUAM[I),K - THK CoritLANH — AUAMLrf. 



401 



, Tiiivi'l'', 



1-. Man. II. 



itiiilly witli 



mlr 111' li-^ 



nit'oriu I'iili 



Kvitli brown. 



uiiiii'V ; iii^ 



lilt lilt' liriiuii 



/ ; " CoVi'li'l 



1(10 ; I'lllini'ii, 



lis of size mill 



■udeiit oi'si'X. 



limiTowiT all' I 



art' siiiiill'i 



IfliTc'iices iiiiiv 



].,.to.l liy Ml. 



vatliLT luori' 



usul half, tl" 



i'lic <'iiiii'liiii, ill th** Noi'tli Aiiit>rU>uii fiiuiui, iiii'i ii rfr^tni'lnl ilistriliutimi, Ih-iiik 

 I'liiiliiH'il fxi'luHivcly to tilt* pt'iiiiiNiilii of Kloriilu, uiul imt Ih-iii^ known tn fxiHt in iiii> 

 utlii'i' |Mirtiiiii iif till' (iiiti'il Stiitcs. It ori'urN in Culia I'ml •liiMiaira, imd |iriilialil,\ in 

 iitlh'i'M of the Wrst Imiiii Islaiiil.s, ami in |i<irtinns uf 'rnlral Aun-iica. It \n nut 

 iiicntiiinftl liy l/><ilaiiil uh ncninin^ in 'I'liniilail. 



In Floridii, lu'coriiin^ to AmltilKin, it a|i|M>arMto Im> fntin-ly i'oiitin*Ml tn that MM-tioti 

 iif till* pfninHiila nf I'Mmiila kiin\Mi a.s tin' I'lvi-i'^rlaili's, ami tlif Nwani|i\ iMiiilrrs nf tlii> 

 IkiViiiis ami la^'nniiH i.sHiiinK' llii'i'i'lniin. In ono iii.stano' it in said tn liavi' Ih'oii pni- 

 I'uri'il anions tlif Florida Kcvh Ity Titian l'i>ult<. It was nut nict witli \>\ Aiidulidn 

 nil iinv nf tlidSf islands, nur did In' nntirc it on any part (d' tin* roast lii'twcm Klmida 

 .iiid Texas. .\iidiil)on dcsnilit's its tli)<lit as heavy and of shoit diiratiuii, the eon- 

 lavity anil shortness id' the wind's, with the nature nf the plaees whieh it inhaliits. 

 iiiiderinj,' it slow to remove from niie spot tn aimtlier nii win^. it heinn fmind ehiefls 

 aiiiiiii^' tall plants, the rnnts nf which are lii'ipiriilly under water. When it rises nt 

 it^ (iwn aecnrd, it passes tlirnii;,di llie aii at a slinit distanee alinve the weeils, with 

 rej{ulai' lieats nf the will^s, its lieek extended tn its fllll len|i{th. and its Inli^ le^s 

 ilaii^'liny: lieiieath, until it suddenly drnps tn the ^rnmid. If pursued, few birds exeel 

 It in speed. It prneeeds liy Iniij,' strides, lirst in a direct cniirse. and afterward di\ ei|n- 

 iiiK. so an to insure its safety even when ehiised by the liest dnj,'s. When iieeidentally 

 surprised, it rises oliliipiely nut nf its recess, with the neck n''''iitly lient dnwnwai'd; 

 iiid altllnll^dl its le^,'s daiij,dc Inr a while, they arc afterward extended liehind in the 

 iiiaiiuer nf ilernns. .\t smh limes it is easily slmt. If only wnundcd. it is vain tn 

 pursue it. Hy the ^'icat lcnj,'tli ami cx|)an«ion <d' its toes it is enahled. altlaainh id' 

 iiijisidcralile size, to walk nn the lunad leaves nf the .\i/iii/i/ii'ir. It can s\\ iiii w itii 

 all the Ijiioyancy nf tin' Cnnt and the (Jallinule. 



Its ne.st is composed nf rank weeds matted tn|,'etlier and forming,' a lar,y:e mass 

 with a depression in the eentie. This is placed amnii,!,' the larger tufts of the tallest 

 '.,'rasses which j^rnw at short distances I'rom the liayoiis. some of them influenced liy 

 llie low tides of the (Iiilf ; it is fastened tn the stems of these plants in the same 

 iiiaiiuer as that of the Clajipcr Itail, and is |,'eiii rally secure from iniimhition. The 

 r;4i,'s arc usually six in niimlter. and are lar^'e for the bird. The y<aiii^' are hatched 

 out early in .May, are covered with a rather coarse black down, and follow their 

 parents soon after their apjiearance. This bird is said to feed, in Florida, cliietly on 

 a lar^'e greenish snail which is abundant in the l']vcr^j;lades. While on the wiiij,' it 

 utters a note said to be a sort of eai'klc, like that of the Cniumnn Hen; but when 

 nil the ground this ery is much louder, especially during the pairing-.seasnii, or when 

 startled by the report of a gun. Its Hesh is regarded as good eating. The statements 

 as to its ever alighting nu trees Aiidiibnii was inclined tn discredit. 



Dr. Itryant (I'roc. linst<in Xat. Mist. Soe. VII. ]>. 11) does not consider Audubon 

 as being ipiite accurate in regarding the Everglades as the heacUiuarters of this spe- 

 cies. In his visits to that portion situated near Fort Dallas, he did not meet with 

 an individual. He never found it either nn the shallow ]K)nds nr the wet savannas so 

 luimeroiis in the neighborhood of Indian River. The part of Moriila in which he saw- 

 it was on the St. John'.s and the waters connected with it, between Lake Harney and 

 Lake (Jeorge. He first noticed it at Wikiva, and from there found it in great num- 

 bers as he descended the river, wherever the locality was suited to its habits, until 

 he arrived at Spring Garden Lake, where it was more numerous than at any locality 

 previously visited. It was generally seen standing on the edge of the shore, or eise 

 on the Xi/tnphew or other broad-leaved plants able to support its weight. He found 

 it very tame and unsuspicious for so large a bird, allowing itself to be approached 



VOL I. 



51 



