Wayne: Birds of South Carolina. 39 



85. Creciscus jamaicensis (Gmel.). Little Black Rail. 



It appears that neither Audubon nor Bachman ever met with 

 this diminutive, but exceedingly interesting species. 



On October 17, 1891, I flushed one of these rails in a corn field, 

 but although I saw the exact spot where it alighted I was unable 

 to flush it again. In this same field I procured a superb speci- 

 men on September 13, 1899, and on June 10, 1903, I secured a 

 nest and eight eggs, and captured both parents in the same lo- 

 cality. On November 9, 1906, a specimen was found dead in 

 this field. I here transcribe the account of the nest and eggs 

 and capture of the birds that I published in the Warbler: 1 



On June 10th, 1903, a small negro boy came to me and said he had found 

 eight eggs in a nest on the ground in an oat field, which was nearly cut over by a 

 reaping and binding machine drawn by three mules. I questioned him closely 

 and asked him if the eggs were unspotted, as I supposed they were, of course, 

 Partridge eggs (Colinus virginianus) . He said the eggs were spotted and looked 

 like Redbird 's eggs (Cardinalis cardinalis) , but added that he saw no bird on the 

 nest and left the eggs undisturbed. When the boy adhered to his story that the 

 eggs were spotted I immediately knew that the nest was that of the extremely 

 rare Black Rail and I hastened with gun and collecting basket to the oat field 

 which was less than one-fourth of a mile from my house. 



He had not marked the spot where the nest was by any sign, therefore we had 

 to hunt for it most carefully. I, at last, found it, and to my delight actually saw 

 the female on the nest. It can be readily imagined with what pleasure I saw the 

 parent incubating the eggs, as I was the first person who had ever seen this secre- 

 tive bird actually on her nest! My first impulse was to catch her alive on her nest 

 and this could have been very easily accomplished as I was within an inch of her 

 and with my hands outstretched it would have been a very easy matter to catch 

 her. But I thought I would let her go and learn something of the song, hab- 

 its and flight of these rare birds. Upon touching her she ran a short distance, 

 then flew into a portion of the oats which were not cut, but of » very small 

 area. The nest contained eight eggs, and was built among the oats on high 

 ground, and made entirely of the dry oat leaves arranged in a circular manner, 

 but not arched over. It was 10.00 a. m. when she left the nest and I remained 

 in the near vicinity until 11 .00 a. m., when she again was found incubating. She 

 ran, upon my approaching the nest, into the nearest cover of standing oats — 

 about eighty yards away. So swiftly was this done that I had in mind a field 

 mouse. Although the entire aspect of the field was changed the bird had no dif- 

 ficulty in finding her home. 



As soon as she entered the standing oats she began to call, which notes resemble 

 the words, croo-croo-croo-o, and then again almost exactly like the commence- 

 ment of the song of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. This was answered at once by the 

 male, but his song was very different and the notes may best be described by the 

 words kik,kik,kik,kik,or even kuk, kuk, kuk,kuk. As the birds were rare, and the 

 field would be ploughed as soon as the oats were harvested, I determined to make 

 every effort to capture both parents, after listening to the song of both birds for 

 more than one hour. 



I walked into the standing oats, and little did I dream of ever flushing one of the 

 birds, but to my, great surprise one flushed almost immediately and with a squib 

 charge of dust shot I killed it which proved by dissection to be the female. I then 

 tried to flush the male, (knowing the one I had was the female by the coloration) 

 so as to be positive of the song of both sexes. After hunting for more than forty 



> Second Series, I, No. 2, 1905. 



