﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

  

  277 
  

  

  Virginia, 
  Missouri 
  and 
  California 
  to 
  South 
  x^merica. 
  It 
  is 
  our 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   species 
  of 
  Rail, 
  being 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  marshes 
  of 
  central 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  the 
  

   Great 
  Lake 
  region 
  and 
  probably 
  breeding 
  in 
  nearly 
  every 
  county 
  in 
  the 
  

   State, 
  but 
  is 
  uncommon 
  as 
  a 
  summer 
  resident 
  in 
  our 
  coastal 
  district. 
  It 
  

   is 
  an 
  abundant 
  transient 
  visitant 
  on 
  the 
  tidal 
  marshes, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  interior, 
  but 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  less 
  common 
  than 
  formerly 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  slaughter 
  by 
  

   gunners, 
  which 
  at- 
  

   tends 
  its 
  autumnal 
  

   migration. 
  Spring 
  

   arrivals 
  on 
  the 
  

   coast 
  date 
  from 
  

   the 
  28th 
  of 
  April 
  

   to 
  the 
  9th 
  of 
  May 
  

   as 
  shown 
  by 
  Mr 
  

   Butcher's 
  Notes. 
  

   In 
  western 
  New 
  

   York 
  it 
  arrives 
  

   from 
  the 
  20th 
  to 
  

   the 
  30th 
  of 
  April, 
  

  

  anQ 
  m 
  V^aiian- 
  Sora, 
  Porzana 
  Carolina 
  (Linnaeus). 
  Immature 
  specimen 
  in 
  State 
  Museum. 
  

  

  2 
  nat. 
  size 
  

  

  daigua, 
  on 
  one 
  oc- 
  

   casion, 
  I 
  heard 
  its 
  note 
  on 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  April. 
  On 
  the 
  6th 
  of 
  March 
  1900, 
  a 
  

   Sora 
  was 
  picked 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  snow 
  at 
  Buffalo 
  and 
  brought 
  to 
  Mr 
  Ottomar 
  

   Reinecke. 
  It 
  was 
  greatly 
  emaciated 
  and 
  had 
  probably 
  been 
  driven 
  out 
  of 
  

   its 
  course 
  by 
  the 
  strong 
  southwest 
  wind 
  which 
  had 
  prevailed 
  for 
  three 
  days 
  

   before 
  its 
  captirre. 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  many 
  similar 
  occurrences 
  in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  

   States. 
  The 
  Sora 
  is 
  commonest 
  during 
  September 
  and 
  early 
  October, 
  

   departing 
  for 
  the 
  south 
  from 
  October 
  loth 
  to 
  the 
  30th, 
  a 
  few 
  stragglers 
  

   sometimes 
  remaining 
  until 
  the 
  marshes 
  are 
  entirely 
  frozen. 
  

  

  The 
  nest 
  of 
  the 
  Sora 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  coarse 
  reeds 
  and 
  grasses 
  which 
  are 
  

   piled 
  up 
  among 
  the 
  growing 
  grasses 
  until 
  the 
  top 
  is 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  above 
  the 
  

   water 
  which 
  usually 
  covers 
  the 
  site 
  selected 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  inches. 
  

  

  