THE KING RAIL 225 
when at the last resort does he rise with 
clumsy haste, his big feet dangling gracefully 
below him, and flap heavily away, coming to the 
ground again as soon as ever he can with safety 
to seek a surer refuge in the grass. Yet in 
spite of all this they must be capable of a long- 
sustained flight, for they often cross large 
bodies of water in their migrations. 
But whatever the case with their wings there 
is never a suspicion of feebleness in their long, 
muscular legs, and it is to these members that 
they trust mostly for escape from danger. 
They swim well at need, when their long-toed 
feet are very serviceable as paddles. Under 
water their wings are called to the aid of their 
feet and they make rapid progress, only coming 
up where they may put their heads out through 
the drift stuff in safety. 
The King Rail, the largest and handsomest 
of the family in North America, is a near rela- 
tion of the clapper rail which is perhaps bet- 
ter known, but the King Rail is dressed more 
stylishly and in brighter colors. This bird 
seems to prefer the fresh water, only rarely be- 
ing taken on the marshes of the seacoast. He 
is said to be even more of a stranger to New 
