JUNE. 141 



ger is slight indeed that the record of any June day out 

 of doors will be a twice-told tale. 



One great advantage of observations made at this time 

 is this: Hitherto, we have had, for 'instance, to content 

 ourselves, as a rule, with casual glimpses of every bird we 

 saw, and could seldom be sure that we saw the same indi- 

 vidual twice ; but now, not only the same bird, but, better 

 yet, a mated pair can be confidently followed from day to 

 day, for they have a comparatively restricted range, and 

 every movement is_ more or less with reference to their 

 nest and young. The advantage is obvious. At no other 

 time are the characteristic features of bird life so pro- 

 nounced, and the one opportunity of each season is offered 

 to determine' how far individuals vary as to their intelli- 

 gence, their tastes, and mode of living. 



I have been much interested in watching a brood of 

 Virginia rails that were hatched somewhere in the im- 

 penetrable mucky meadow, of which I have so often 

 spoken. No tropical jungle could be more hopelessly 

 tangled than this bit of marsh, and, I may add, few prob- 

 ably shelter a greater variety of life-forms. Here I have 

 found — and can always find — mammals, birds, reptiles, 

 batrachians, and ^shes, besides insects and other inverte- 

 brate life in the greatest profusion ; and here it is that 

 with the regularity of the seasons three notable forms of 

 aquatic birds repair to breed — the king rail, the Virginia 

 rail, and the least bittern. Of these, during the summer 

 of 1888, the smaller rails were the prominent feature. 



I occasionally heard them during the month of May, 

 but never caught a glimpse of one until late in June, when 

 a commotion of some sort brought at least two broods 

 and their parents to the edge of the marsh, Occasionally 

 they ran out for a short distance upon the open meadow. 

 The young at this time were not fully grown nor able to 

 fly, I thought, but their activity as runners was really re- 



