40 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



minutes I failed to flush the mate, so went home and skinned the one which I had 

 secured. 



At 3.00 o'clock p. m. I went in search of the male, accompanied by 

 a friend, Lieut. J. D. Cozby, who brought with him his fine pointer dog. Al- 

 though we heard the notes of the bird incessantly, which never changed from 

 kik, kik, kik, kik, or kuk, kuk, kuk, kuk, it was absolutely impossible to flush him 

 but once in two hours' careful search, when he flew into the oat stubble, but ran 

 like a phantom into the standing oats. It was nearly 7.00 o'clock p. m. and I 

 was fast losing hope of obtaining the male, when I saw the dog pointing, but the 

 bird ran between Lieut. Cozby and myself , then flushed as it passed me. I quick- 

 ly requested my friend to shoot and by a fortunate shot he succeeded in killing it. 

 When it is realized that it required jour hours ' constant search in order to secure 

 the male it can be understood how secretive this Rail is in its environment. 



The eggs would all have hatched in four or five days, but with care and patience 

 I preserved them. It seems almost miraculous that none of the eggs were in- 

 jured, as the hoof-prints of seven feet were all around the nest and one had actually 

 lifted the nest from the ground, but despite the fact that a huge mowing machine, 

 drawn by three mules, had passed over the nest twice and cut the stubble close 

 above it, not an egg was broken. The complete group, nest, eggs and birds, 

 mounted by Mr. R. D. Hoyt, are now in the collection of Mr. John Lewis Childs. 

 The eggs are creamy white or light buffy white, and are profusely speckled with 

 reddish brown and lilac shell markings. Size 1 .03x.75. 



On the Atlantic coast this species is apparently very rare, 

 but on the Pacific coast and especially in California it is common. 

 The Black Rail ranges southward to the West Indies. 



86. Ionornis martinica (Linn.). Purple Gallinule. 



This beautiful and graceful summer resident is locally abundant 

 during the breeding season on abandoned rice plantations, and 

 also on freshwater rivers where the wampee (Pontederia cordata) 

 grows in profusion. This plant bears purplish blue flowers which 

 act as a protective coloration to this species. Where the plant 

 is growing in profusion the gallinules are always most abundant, 

 but where it is absent scarcely more than one or two pairs can 

 be found. The birds generally arrive between April 10 and 17, 

 and are common by the 25th. 



In the region about Yemassee, I observed in May, 1887, about 

 five hundred pairs, which were breeding in a large abandoned 

 rice field. It was a very beautiful sight to observe the graceful 

 creatures while walking over the large leaves of the pond lily, 

 every now and then flirting their tails or holding their wings over 

 their heads, as they walked from one leaf to another. 



When engaged in the sport of chasing one another while flying, 

 the legs always hang down and the birds cackle continuously. 

 They have very peculiar call notes. One, which is very gut- 

 tural, is to be heard incessantly. The birds are exceedingly tame, 

 and one can almost step on them before they fly. If wounded, 



