RAILS. 839 
One of their ordinary stratagems for avoiding capture is 
to sink into the water near a bunch of sedges, until only 
the bill, and, sometimes, a part of the head is exposed. 
Rails are only shot at high tides, as a rule, owing to 
the difficulty of reaching their haunts without boats, and 
though the shooting may not last more than two or three 
hours, it is not unusual for an experienced sportsman 
to bag from one hundred to three hundred in that time. 
Rail shooting is carried on along the Atlantic Coast from 
Connecticut to Florida, but it only reaches perfection on 
the Delaware River, where the birds are so numerous 
that any ordinary shot can make a large bag, provided he 
commands the services of a good ‘boat pusher” who is 
acquainted with the marshes. These ‘‘ pushers” are better 
for retrieving dead and wounded birds than any dog, for 
they rarely lose one, though a dozen may be lying in the 
marsh at the same time. All shooting ceases when the 
tide commences to ebb; and then the sportsmen who have 
taken part in the battue meet to compare notes and find 
out which of their number has the distinguished honor 
of being ‘‘high boat,” and to congratulate him on his 
success. More than two thousand rails are frequently 
shot on one of these expeditions, besides several ducks 
and reed birds. The king rail, or fresh-water marsh hen 
(Railus elegans), which is the largest of the family, fre- 
quents fresh-water marshes, though it is sometimes found 
on salt marshes. It lives largely on wild oats, and being 
loth to use its wings, it depends on its legs to escape dan- 
ger on land or water. This species is of a general olive- 
brown hue, the eyelids being whitish. The clapper rail, or 
salt-water marsh hen (R. longirostris), resembles the pre- 
ceding in general color, except that it is not so bright. It 
is also emaller, and equally as averse to using its wings. 
The red rail, or Virginia corncrake (. virginianus), 
looks like the king rail, but is not near so large, as it 
only measures from eight to ten inches in length. It is 
