﻿276 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  up 
  in 
  a 
  rather 
  shallow, 
  flat 
  mound. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  usually 
  8 
  to 
  1 
  2 
  in 
  number, 
  

   pale 
  grayish 
  or 
  buff}' 
  white, 
  spotted 
  with 
  reddish 
  brown 
  and 
  obscure 
  lilac, 
  

   averaging 
  about 
  1.25 
  x 
  .95. 
  Mr 
  Brewster 
  gives 
  us 
  an 
  admirable 
  account 
  

   of 
  its 
  notes 
  as 
  follows: 
  "About 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April 
  we 
  begin 
  to 
  hear 
  in 
  

   our 
  marshes, 
  usually 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  morning, 
  late 
  afternoon 
  or 
  during 
  cloudy 
  

   weather, 
  and 
  coming 
  from 
  some 
  briary 
  thicket 
  or 
  bed 
  of 
  matted 
  reeds, 
  a 
  

   guttural 
  cut, 
  cut, 
  cutta-cutta-cutta 
  repeated 
  at 
  brief 
  intervals, 
  often 
  for 
  

   hours 
  in 
  succession. 
  This 
  is 
  occasionally 
  interrupted 
  or 
  closely 
  followed 
  

   by 
  a 
  rapid 
  succession 
  of 
  low, 
  yet 
  penetrating 
  grunts 
  not 
  unlike 
  those 
  of 
  a 
  

   hungry 
  pig. 
  The 
  Virginia 
  rail 
  is 
  the 
  authoi 
  of 
  both 
  these 
  sounds, 
  the 
  

   former 
  appearing 
  to 
  be 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  male 
  and, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  his 
  love 
  song. 
  

   When 
  heard 
  very 
  near 
  at 
  hand 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  peculiar 
  vibrant 
  qualit^' 
  and 
  seems 
  

   to 
  issue 
  from 
  the 
  ground 
  directly 
  beneath 
  one's 
  feet. 
  The 
  grunting 
  notes 
  

   are 
  given 
  by 
  both 
  sexes 
  but, 
  with 
  rare 
  exceptions, 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  

   season. 
  The 
  female 
  when 
  anxious 
  about 
  her 
  eggs 
  or 
  young 
  also 
  calls 
  ki-ki-ki 
  

   and 
  sometimes 
  kiu 
  like 
  a 
  Flicker." 
  [Bird-Lore, 
  4, 
  2, 
  47] 
  

  

  Porzana 
  Carolina 
  (Linnaeus) 
  

   Carolina 
  Rail 
  or 
  Sora 
  

  

  Plate 
  26 
  

  

  Rallus 
  carolinus 
  Linnaeus. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  Ed. 
  10. 
  1758. 
  1:153 
  

  

  O 
  r 
  t 
  y 
  g 
  o 
  m 
  e 
  t 
  r 
  a 
  Carolina 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  262, 
  fig. 
  224 
  

  

  Porzana 
  Carolina 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  214 
  

  

  porza'na, 
  Ital., 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  spotted 
  crake; 
  caroll'na, 
  of 
  Carolina 
  

  

  Description. 
  Upper 
  parts 
  olive-brown, 
  the 
  feathers 
  with 
  blackish 
  

   centers; 
  back 
  and 
  scapulars 
  streaked 
  with 
  white; 
  forepart 
  of 
  head, 
  chin 
  and 
  

   throat 
  black; 
  sides 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  breast 
  bluish 
  gray; 
  

   wings 
  dusky 
  brown 
  ; 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  of 
  first 
  primary 
  white 
  ; 
  belly 
  and 
  under 
  

   tail 
  coverts 
  white, 
  the 
  crissum 
  tinged 
  with 
  rufous; 
  sides 
  and 
  flanks 
  barred 
  

   with 
  slaty 
  black 
  and 
  white; 
  bill 
  light 
  greenish 
  yellow; 
  legs 
  greenish; 
  iris 
  

   brown. 
  Young: 
  No 
  black 
  on 
  face, 
  nor 
  bluish 
  slate 
  on 
  foreparts; 
  throat 
  

   and 
  belly 
  whitish; 
  neck 
  and 
  breast 
  light 
  olive 
  -brownish. 
  Chicks: 
  Black, 
  

   with 
  orange 
  beard. 
  

  

  Range 
  and 
  migration. 
  This 
  species 
  inhabits 
  the 
  nearctic 
  region 
  from 
  

   about 
  latitude 
  41 
  degrees, 
  to 
  Hudson 
  ba\' 
  and 
  Slave 
  lake, 
  wintering 
  from 
  

  

  