KAILS AND GALLINULES 



257 



The chipmunks stop in the midst of play; 

 The gophers hide in their holes away; 

 And " Hush, oh, hush!" the field-mice say, 

 When the sandhill crane goes walking. 



Mrs. Mary Austin, in St. Nicholas. 1 



THE FAMILY OF RAILS. 



Rallidae. 



From the stately crane to the timid, self- 

 effacing Virginia Rail 2 is going at one step 

 from the sublime to the ridiculous. To the 

 latter, which is a bird about half the size of a 

 bob-white, a crane must seem like a giant 

 whose head is in the clouds. The crane can 

 either fight, run or fly away; but the rail is 

 safe only when threading the mazes of a reedy 

 marsh, where no enemy can follow it far. When 

 boating on a marsh filled with cat-tails, or reeds, 

 or tall grass, you may hear a score of rails 

 clucking and calling in the heart of the green 

 tangle about you without seeing one. There 

 are times when it seems as if this bird is a de- 

 liberate and intentional ventriloquist, for its 

 voice seems to come from all directions save 

 that which points toward its owner. A marsh 

 is as necessary to rails as water is to fishes. 



When a rail flies up out of a marsh or a 

 meadow, you can recognize it by its feeble, 

 fluttering flight, and its hanging legs. Often 

 in alighting it seems to fall helplessly into the 

 tall cover. 



In the mosquito-ridden marshes along the 

 New Jersey shore, dwells a species known as the 

 Sora Rail 3 in numbers sufficiently numerous 

 to attract gunners. The moment the "law is 

 off," the flat-bottomed boats are brought out, 

 and the fusillade begins. With no larger game 

 available, even a small Rail can form an excuse 

 for a day's outing on the marshes, bringing the 

 grip of the gun-stock, the dull "boom" that is 

 music to the desk-weary man, and the welcome 

 smell of gunpowder. Therefore, rail not at all 

 those who shoot rails; for there be some who 

 do not shoot "for revenue only." 



As may be inferred, rails are good to eat, 

 though not very good; for they are several sizes 

 too small for real comfort. There are only 



*By courtesy of The Century Co., and of the 

 Author. 



2 Ral'lus virginianvs. Average length, 9 inches. 



3 Por-za'na Carolina. Length, about 9 inches. 



about twelve species in North America, of which 

 the King Rail, 15 inches long (of eastern North 

 America), is the largest, and the Virginia Rail 

 is the most widely distributed. The latter has 

 a long bill (l\ inches), and is found from Long 

 Island to British Columbia, breeding every- 

 where that marshy lands occur. It is an olive- 

 brown bird, streaked and barred with black, 

 and in places with white, also. 



While the most typical rails have long bills, 

 some species are short-billed. 



A Gallinule is a bird which lives, acts and 

 looks like a rail, and is easily mistaken for either 

 a rail or a coot; but it stands midwav between 



VIRGINIA RAIL. 



the two. It is distinguished from the rails by 

 the bare, horny shield upon the forehead, and 

 from the coots by the long, slender, unwebbed 

 toes. The Florida Gallinule* is also called the 

 Blue "Rail," and Red-Billed "Mud-Hen," and its 

 general color-effect is bluish-gray. It is found 

 in localities adapted to its habits throughout 

 temperate North America, north to Canada, and 

 as far south as Brazil. 



The Purple Gallinule 5 of the southern half 

 of the eastern United States, is a bird of beauti- 

 ful plumage. Its colors are a rich, dark purple 

 on the head, neck and shoulders, lightening to 



4 Gal-li-nu'la gal-e-a'ta. Length, about 13 inches. 



5 I-o-nor'nis mar-tin' i-ca . Length, 12 inches. 



