‘BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 105 
PORZANA CAROLINA (L.). (214) 
SORA. 
“Thin as a Rail” is a very common expression, without 
much sense or significance until a genuine Rail has been 
looked upon, after which its figurative applicability receives 
a new force. The relative depth and breath of the body when 
seen explain it all. Everything is adapted to the place in 
which Infinite Wisdom placed it; the laterally expanded Goose, 
as well as the laterally contracted Rail. The one with its 
webbed toes for a natatorial life; the other with its immoder- 
ately elongated, disenthralled toes to run, squirrel-like over 
the lightest drift-wood and expanded lily pads on the water. 
The casual straggler, with only his cane in his hand, in lan- 
guid idleness sitting down on a log near an expanse of the 
water-lillies about sunset, will see more of these birds in a 
half hour of observation, than a collector will in ten days of 
constant tramping. ‘Tail erect, the bird is seen tripping along — 
the debris of the shore, and onto the frail, floating lily-pads, 
pausing not a moment before an open space, but dropping 
into the water, swimming unconcernedly across to more lilies 
or a point of drift, seizing an insect first on one side and then 
on the other, till it disappears in the twilight, or beating a 
circuit it returns again. In the mean time, more individuais 
have come upon the scene, and there are a half dozen, busily 
and cheerily searching for the wanted food, while they all 
keep up a rather subdued ‘‘ca-weep-eep, ca-weep-eep-eep-ip-ip-ip” 
like a flock of young domestic chickens. 
These birds reach Minnesota about the 25th of April, and 
begin to build by the second week in May. The structure con- 
sists of weeds and grass in abundance, making a large pile for 
the size of the bird, hollowed somewhat, and placed on a bunch 
of coarse grass, in the marshes. They are said to be some- 
times found under extremely different circumstances, as brier 
patches, cranberry vines, or even under the current bushes in 
a country garden, but if the full history of such cases could be 
_ known, a sufficient reason would be revealed for the excep- 
tions. The eggs are a vellow-drab, with the slightest tinge of 
olive-green, and from five to ten in number. 
Their food as has already been indicated, is made up of 
different forms of aquatic insect life, to which must be added 
small molusca, crustacea, and seeds of different kinds. They 
remain until late in October, very frequently. This is by far 
