THE OOLOGIST. 



25^. 



G. VROOMAN SMITH,Schenectady,N.Y. 



plants, along the walk, across the pool 

 they go. Now" and then there is a 

 swift chase and a low chatter of voices 

 when some individual asserts his power 

 or when one has caught an unwary 

 worm that has ventured too near the 

 surface of the protecting mold. A rich 

 source of food are the bread crumbs cast 

 into the pool for the gold-tishes. And 

 in the morning when the attendant lets 

 in the wate/, which is pumped directly 

 from the lake at the park, minnows fall 

 on the stones and are devoured by the 

 birds. 



The statlier Virginia Rail is more 

 sedate in its demeanor than its cousin, 

 the Sora. From some rock at the sur- 

 face of the water it makes occasional 

 sallies to again return to its favorite 

 nook. Nor does it seexn to wander far. 

 While it has much the same bill of fare 

 as the Sora. and takes it wherever 

 found, the long bill comes into conven- 

 ient use. It may be seen on the mound 

 back of the pool probing the soft mold 



especially around the bases of plants. 

 As it walks along it runs its bill straight, 

 down or pries away some clod, and 

 when an earth worm is discovered it is- 

 speedily brought too light and is swal- 

 lowed with a series of sharp backward 

 and forward jerks of the head, much in 

 the manner of a chicken. The probing 

 is an interesting process; as the bill de- 

 scends into the ground it is opened' 

 slightly, probably to allow the tongue- 

 to feel for worms; the effort causes a, 

 convulsive shudder of the bird's head 

 and entire body. Whenever some 

 Sora makes itself too noticeable by its 

 presence the Virginia immediately pro- 

 ceeds to scatter the individual, and 

 there is a short, sharp chase, two streaks 

 of bird; they run as never chicken ran. 

 Although they pay little attention to 

 the gold-fishes all of the birds keep at a 

 respectful distance from a bull-frog, 

 the monarch of the pool. Whenever a 

 bird unwittingly gets close to this fel- 

 low there is a craning of the neck, a 

 jerking and twdsting of the head in order 

 to get each'cye alternately focused di- 

 rectly on the horrible beast. Then there 

 is a strutting away and a last inquisi- 

 tive look. Such actions are usually ac- 

 companied by a bobbing of the tail, a 

 tr^it less noticeable in the Virginia than 

 in the Sora. 



Our friends roost above the ground; 

 if they did not the rats would make 

 short work of them. That was the case 

 with some birds last year; only one of 

 each species survived. These had their 

 regular roosts. One spent the night in 

 a Love-tree, Philodendron deliciosum, 

 a specimen of which rests against an 

 iron column for the support at the roof 

 at either side and just back of the pool; 

 the other took up sleeping quarters in 

 a palm on the other side of the conser- 

 vatory. The excrement on the Love- 

 trees shows where some of the birds 

 roost this year. At dusk one may see 

 them tiying up there with rather labori- 

 ous flight. I saw a Sora fly from one 



