42 VIRGINIAN RAIL. 



stances. Their movements can be easily traced for fifty yards or so du- 

 ring nights of brilliant moonshine, when you see them passing with a con- 

 stant beat of the wings, in the manner of a Green-winged Teal. As soon 

 as they arrive at their destination, they may be heard emitting their cries 

 about sunset, occasionally through the night, and again with increased 

 vigour at the dawn of day, as if expressing their impatience for the ar- 

 rival of their companions. The love-notes of this species have some re- 

 semblance to those of the Clapper Rail, but now and then are changed 

 for others something like crelc, crek, creek; or creek, creek, creek. Being 

 expert ventriloquists, like their congeners, they sometimes seem to be far 

 oif, when in fact they are within a few yards of you. One morning I had 

 the good fortune to witness their amatory gestures, which I will here try 

 to describe, that you may in some degree participate in the amusement 

 which the scene afforded me. 



The sun had scarcely begun to send his horizontal rays over the lake, 

 on the margin of which I stood, revolving in my mind the many enjoy- 

 ments which the Author of nature has benignantly accorded to his crea- 

 tures. The air was clear and serene, and the waters spread before me 

 without a ruffle on their surface. The notes of the Rail came loudly on 

 my ear, and on moving towards the spot whence they proceeded, I ob- 

 served the bird exhibiting the full ardour of his passion. Now with open 

 wings raised over its body, it ran around its beloved, opening and flirting 

 its tail with singular speed. Each time it passed before her, it would pause 

 for a moment, raise itself to the full stretch of its body and legs, and bow 

 to her with all the grace of a well-bred suitor of our own species. The fe- 

 male also bowed in recognition, and at last, as the male came nearer and 

 nearer in his circuits, yielded to his wishes, on which the pair flew off in 

 the manner of house-pigeons, sailing and balancing their bodies on open 

 wings until out of sight. During this exhibition, the male emitted a mel- 

 low note, resembling the syllables cnckoe, cuckoe, to which the female re- 

 sponded with the kind of lisping sound uttered by young birds of the 

 species when newly hatched. 



Excepting our Little Partridge, I know no bird so swift of foot as 

 the Virginian Rail. In fact, I doubt if it would be an easy matter for an 

 active man to outstrip one of them on plain ground ; and to trust to one's 

 speed for raising one among the thick herbage to which they usually 

 resort, would certainly prove fallacious. There they run to a short dis- 

 tance, then tack about, and again scud away in a lateral direction, so as 



