280 The Water-fowl Family 



vinced the ordinary high water, unless associated 

 with the heaviest storm, does no injury, although 

 in some instances devoted birds have been found 

 drowned in their nests. The eggs, unfortunately, 

 in locations where they abound, are greedily 

 sought for by the natives and held in highest 

 esteem, but now like all good things have become 

 scarce. Wilson states the nests were so abun- 

 dant he has known twelve hundred eggs to be 

 gathered by one man in a day, — an instance of 

 past destruction that now seems incredible. The 

 nest is simple but carefully constructed, being 

 woven over with twisted, plaited grass, likely a 

 provision against high water ; a little path gener- 

 ally leads to it, and this the egg-hunter looks for. 

 The eggs are eight to ten in number, and often a 

 second set is hatched. In the late summer clap- 

 per rail are hunted from the marshes of the 

 South from skiffs, poled through the flooded grass, 

 and often large numbers are killed. Their flesh 

 is not as excellent as that of the sora rail, as 

 their diet consists more of various small shellfish 

 and animal matter, than of seeds and vegetable 

 material. 



Where the grass is not too thick a quick dog 

 will often catch them. In one instance I knew a 

 dog to flush one repeatedly, finally driving the 

 bewildered bird to the open, where it flew on to 

 the beach so hard as to turn completely over. 



