THE KING RAIL. 443 



with its inhabitants, to speak its language, that is an achievement. But if it 

 is only exercise or "sport" you are wanting, go shoot bloodless pigeons made 

 of clay, on some pleasant hillside. 



The most that can be be learned about the King Rail in thrashing about 

 a swamp is that it rises suddenly, flies slowly in a straight line just above 

 the tops of the reeds, and plumps down suddenly not far away, as tho its 

 wings had given out. It afifords an easy mark for the sportsman, being in 

 fact about as severe a test of skill as a tomato can floating down stream. The 

 gunner learns too that the bird is hard to flush, and that if it has any sort of a 

 show for cover, will run rapidly through the weeds, and skulk, rather than 

 seek safety in flight. 



The chance explorer is about as likely as is the plotting student to come 

 across a nest built up in the reeds and grasses, either well up in a grass-tussock 

 or just sufficiently elevated to keep a hatful of eggs clear of the water. The 

 eggs, ten or a dozen in number, are like nothing else in the swamp except 

 those of the Florida Gallinule. From these there is no certain distinction. 

 I have noticed, however, that the reddish brown spotting of the latter is 

 apt to be less angular and the spots more numerous and regular. The nest 

 of the Rail does not boast the inclined approach which characterizes that of 

 the Gallinule or the Coot. 



The food of the Marsh Hen consists of insects, slugs, leeches, tadpoles 

 and small crayfish, besides a goodly proportion of seeds from aquatic and 

 palustral plants. The last are obtained not only from the soft bed of ooze 

 upon which they may have fallen, but from the seed-pods themselves, since 

 the bird can climb quite nimbly. Like all birds of this class, the most active 

 hours are spent just after sunset and before sunrise. But in a region where 

 they were in little fear of molestation, I have seen them deploy upon an ex- 

 tensive mud-ffat in broad daylight and go prodding about in company with 

 migrant Sandpipers, for the worms which' riddle the ooze with their burrows. 

 At such times, too, I have seen a few standing stock still for a quarter of an 

 hour at a stretch, evidently to catch a wink of sleep along with their sun bath, 

 and trusting, perhaps, to their more vigilant neighbors to give warning of 

 approaching danger. 



The King Rail has not been much observed in our state, and altho not to 

 be accounted rare, is doubtless much more frequent in the prairie states to 

 the west and northwest of us, where swales and "slews" abound. It has been 

 reported breeding in the neighborhood of Circleville, but is more commonly 

 found in the extensive marshes which' varv th-e Lake Erie shore. Its pres- 

 ence mav be detected by its weird call, which is best described in the words 

 of Mr. Frank Chapman, "a loud startling blip, hup. hup. hup. hup. uttered 

 with increasing rapidity until the syllables are barely distinguishable, then 

 ending somewhat as it begins — the whole performance lasting about five 

 seconds." 



