106 BIRDS 



Rails are less aquatic than coots or gallinules, and, 

 though not gregarious, are seldom found in isolated pairs. 

 Frequently several varieties of rail occupy their respective 

 nests within a few yards of each other, and, again, all three 

 species will deposit their eggs in a single nest, which is 

 usually that of the king rail, the largest of the genera. 



No one should be surprised at the antics of this bird. A 

 neighbor discovered one in the front room, after leaving the 

 door ajar one morning. King rails have been obser\^ed 

 about the barnyard in company with the poultry. On sev- 

 eral moonlight nights, between the hours of eight and ten, 

 in May and June, I have heard and seen this droll-looking 

 bird strolling about the streets of Chicago, perhaps one-half 

 mile distant from the nearest marsh. It ventures upon the 

 sidewalk and poses under the light of a street lamp, and 

 suddenly becomes hilarious, calling, cackling, and creaking, 

 its hoarse voice breaking the silence of the calm spring 

 atmosphere, and then he vanishes as if by magic. 



Ten eggs in the writer's collection were taken June 10, 

 1908, at Worth, Cook County, Illinois. The grass nest was 

 placed at the base of a clump of grass, the top of which 

 was naturally woven so as to form a canopy over the eggs. 

 The nests are usually placed in shallow water, but this 

 particular nest was on dry land close to a pond. 



THE CLAPPER RAIL* 



This bird, sometimes called the salt-water marsh hen, is 

 found in great abundance in the salt marshes of the Atlantic 

 coast from New Jersey southward. It breeds in profusion 



