THE OOLOGUST. 



87 



embryos from a week in advancement to 

 the feathered young, ready to pip the shell. 

 Even f rosh eggs have been found in nests 

 with yqung perched on its edges; but in 

 these cases undoubtedly the same habita- 

 tion was occupied by two females as uot 

 rarely happens with some other species, e.g. 

 the cuckoos. Out of nearly a hundred eggs, 

 the result of one days collecting a few years 

 ago, the following average dimensions are 

 taken: 1.22 x .91; the smallest specimen 

 being 1.15x.89 in dimensions, and the 

 largest 1.29 x.93. 



This species is, unfortunately for it, 

 like its near relatives, and excellent and 

 easy mark for the hunter, and they are 

 killed yearly in no small numbers, I am sorry 

 to say more for the sport, as it is improp- 

 erly called, than for food. It is a harmless 

 little bird, and feeds like its relatives, prin- 

 cipally upon small mollusks which are 

 swallowed whole in the shell, and the var- 

 ious species of Neurpptera found in the 

 form of nympluie in the water. 



A tame one I once owned ted greedily on 

 the common earth worms, and bits of meat 

 from my hand. It came readily at my 

 approach and after three days of captivity 

 exhibited no signs of fear. The expression, 

 " thin as a rail," is common and does not 

 belie the compressed lateral diameter, seen 

 in these thin but active birds. A skeleton 

 is peculiarly formed, the sternum being only 

 about three quarters of an inch in width. 

 The form, as will be readily seen, is well 

 adapted to their habits of running between 

 the aquatic plants and rushes. So thin 

 are they that some of their slippings 

 through small spaces seem almost incred- 

 ible. The notes of this species are very 

 peculiar and quite loud. 



Porzaxa novebobacexsis. (GmeL ) 



Yellow Kail, 

 li&ts. 



Embraced in several state 



It is not common however, although 

 known to our collectors as early as 1860 

 the writer has never met with it. Nothing 

 is known of its habits here. 



Gallimla gaueata. (Licht,) 

 Florida Gallinule. 



Never really abundant in inland portions 

 of the state, though summering in nearly 

 all southern counties around ponds and 

 lakes of marshy borders. Thousands are 

 found breeding on St. Clair Flats and at 

 other points in the immediate vicinity of 

 the Great Lakes. The nests are coarse 

 structures, constructed much in the manner 

 of Carolina, and are usually placed in even 

 more remote situations from the shore, 

 being built in a position to allow the parent 

 to swim to the nest in all instances, that 

 have met the writers observation. The 

 nest is placed from two, to sixteen inches 

 (in one instance) above the water, and 

 usually the upper part is about six inches 

 above. The materials used in its construc- 

 tion are various, and mainly partake of the 

 same character as those employed by others 

 of the family. The nest is often connected 

 by an arch. 



The number of eggs found in complete 

 sets varies from seven to nine in my exper- 

 ience, and the finding of a set of these 

 speckled treasures was considered by the 

 writer, the neplus ultra of oological research, 

 for many years, 



Michigan eggs average in dimensions 1. 69 

 x 1.21 and are so well know that a descrip- 

 tion of the speckled specimens need not here 

 be made. 



The notes of this bird are so peculiar and 

 weird, when coming from the shrouded 

 edges of the lakes, that notice must be 

 given of their character. All of the mem- 

 bers of this interesting family are blessed 

 with peculiarly discordant notes and there 

 is mnch similarity between them. This 

 species, though perhaps not quite so gar- 

 rulous as Carolina, is quite active in its 

 efforts to give its full quota of stridulous 

 chattering and gulping sounds. The notes 

 in the usual style of expression are (Jutt, 

 cutt, cutt, cutt, cutt, qui-ho, qui-ho, qui-ho, 

 qui-hooo, or often tut, tut, tut, put, put, 

 corro, corroo, when full efforts are given, 

 the cuts or tuts are five in number, invari- 

 ably hereabouts, and six I have never 



