THE BITTERN 



marked species, and three varieties. 

 This according to a not too recent 

 standard catalogue. 



In the great lake region there are six 

 well defined species, five of which are 

 well known in suitable sections and 

 one always a rarity wherever found. 

 These Michigan rails are the King 

 rail or fresh water marsh hen, some- 

 times called mud hen; Virginia rail, 

 Carolina rail, Florida gallinule, Ameri- 

 can coot, all found abundantly in cer- 

 tain sections and the nesting habits of 

 which are well understood, and one — 

 the yellow rail — which is but little 

 known in North America and scarcely 

 met with in the great lake region. 



The yellow rail, porzana novehora- 

 censis (Gmel.), is such a rarity that it 

 may almost be called an anomaly in 

 regard to its appearance. There are 

 a few quarters in this land, and widely 

 separated at that, where it is said that 

 the subject of this sketch may be found 

 almost to a certainty. But in the most 

 of the states of the union it would be 

 a sorry undertaking for a collector to 

 attempt to make a reputation by hunt- 

 ing the yellow rail. As a matter of 

 ornithological interest I kept careful 

 watch for this elusive bird for over a 

 quarter of a century, but in my trips 

 in many quarters of the north and 

 south I never have been fortunate 

 enough to meet with a specimen in the 

 field. Yet wherever I have been and 

 have met with reliable observers I have 

 heard of the rare captures of this 

 strange yellowish bird. 



In Michigan there have not been 

 above a dozen captured, at least as re- 

 liably identified, though I doubt not 

 that others have been shot and dis- 



carded as no account marsh birds by 

 unobservant gunners. On October 19, 

 1890, two acquaintances brought me a 

 fine specimen which they had shot at 

 dusk in the marsh near the city of Kal- 

 amazoo. They were snipe shooting 

 and flushed the little bird from the 

 long grass. Observant of rare creatures, 

 they decided to bring it to me for 

 identification. One point of identity 

 they noticed when the bird was on tlie 

 wing and which may assist other col- 

 lectors in marsh shooting — the white 

 spot on the secondaries was plainly to 

 be seen when the bird flew. They 

 also said that the bird rose with greater 

 vigor and flew swifter than does the 

 common sora rail. 



My next meeting with this almost 

 straggler was in Wilmington, Ohio, 

 where I visited on my way home from 

 Florida in the first week in May, 1894. 

 A badly mutilated specimen was found 

 in the road, where it had evidently 

 fallen after being killed by flying 

 against an obstruction. Rails are 

 often killed by flying against electric 

 lights and wires, and I know of a dozen 

 instances where soras and Virginias 

 have thus met their death. 



About the middle of September, 

 1900, another badly mutilated yellow 

 rail was brought to me and which was 

 picked up in the center of the city of 

 Kalamazoo, Mich. It was too badly 

 injured to make into a desirable speci- 

 men, but was readily identified. 



These notes may give an inkling as 

 to the time and route of migration. 

 Very little is known regarding the 

 nesting habits of this interesting bird. 

 The fact that the skins and eggs of this 



