28 



BULLETIN 128, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Winter range. — The flight of the sora is slow and labored (see p. 4), 

 but some individuals travel more miles between the summer and 

 winter homes than almost any other rails in the Western Hemisphere. 

 The birds breeding in the Mackenzie Valley do not winter farther 

 north than the Gulf coast and hence must travel at least 2,500 miles 

 during their fall migration. The species passes in winter to about 

 latitude 5° S., and as none of these South American birds nest south 

 of latitude 35° N. the migration route can not possibly be shorter 

 than 3,000 miles and may be much longer. 



The sora is dispersed in winter throughout the Greater and the 

 Lesser Antilles and must take long flights over water in passing from 

 one island to another. Moreover, the species is common in winter in 

 northern Yucatan, and these individuals undoubtedly fly back and 

 forth over the Gulf of Mexico, making a distance of at least 500 miles 

 in a single flight. 



The sora winters in Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and 

 northwestern South America, south to Tumbez, Peru (Taczanowski), 

 and east to Medellin, Colombia (Sclater and Salvin), Lake Valencia, 

 Venezuela (Sclater and Salvin), Caracas, Venezuela (Ernst), and to 

 the island of Trinidad (Sharpe), and Tobago Island (Jardine). It 

 also winters in the northern Bahamas (Bonhote), Bermuda (Hurdis), 

 and in Florida north to Amelia Island (Worthington) and Whitfield 

 (Worthington). It is rather common in winter along the coasts of 

 Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, in Lower California, and in western 

 California north to Marysville (Belding). 



Stragglers have been seen in winter far north of the regular range 

 at this season, at Canton, Md., December 26, 1890, and January 22, 

 1895 (Kirkwood); Rochester, N. Y., December 12, 1882 (Coues); 

 Seaford, N. Y., December 24, 1908 (Braislin); Hartford, Conn., 

 December 29, 1881; Salem, Mass., about December 22, 1874 (New- 

 comb) ; Rantoul, 111., December 27, 1910 (Ekblaw) ; Lanesboro, Minn., 

 January 25, 1894 (Hvoslef); and Pecks Lake, Ariz., January 24, 1887 

 (Mearns). 



Spring migration. 



Cumberland, Md 



Kirkwood, Ga 



Otranto, S. C 



Mount Pleasant, S. C... 



Raleigh, N. C 



Erie, Pa 



Lockport, N. Y. (near). 



Hartford, Conn 



Quonochontang, R . I. . . 



Cambridge, Mass 



Pittsfleld, Me 



Quebec City, Canada . . . 



Place. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 years' 

 records. 



Average 

 date of 

 spring 

 arrival. 



Apr. 19 

 May 4 

 Apr. 30 



May 16 



Earliest date 

 of spring 

 arrival. 



Mar. 

 Mar. 

 Feb. 

 Mar. 

 Apr. 

 Mar. 

 Apr. 

 Apr. 

 Mar. 

 Apr. 

 May 

 May 



7, 1902 

 31, 1S96 

 3, 1909 

 4, 1895 

 6, 1886 

 31, 1902 

 22, 1890 

 18, 18S8 

 2,1900 

 23, 1897 

 14, 1899 

 27, 1892 



