308 GAME BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA 



motionless, as if hiding. The walking positions of the two species were 

 noticeably different. The little Black was always proud, with head 

 erect and no jerky movements while walking, but the Caroliaa [Sora] 

 was a typical rail, head down, tail erect, and forever sneaking off 

 sideways as though he were ashamed of himself." 



H. R. Taylor (1898, p. 79) says that in San Mateo County 



The Black Bail we saw would fly up . . . with others and several alighted 

 for refuge, after circling in irregular flight, in bunches of bushy weeds, being 

 still within range. They are seldom if ever shot at by hunters and are very 

 unsuspecting little creatures, allowing the boat to approach within a half an 

 oar's length from where they are hiding. In this Way I struck the one I 

 captured with the blade of the oar, and stunning it but for a moment, took it 

 alive. This bird was kept in captivity where it was observed to be alert to see 

 things and active with its bill. However, all its movements were notably 

 deliberate. It made no attempt to escape and acted as though it had always 

 known a prison. 



When the Black Bail is asleep he is no longer a rail. He has become simply 

 a ball of feathers as big and almost as round as an orange, and coming upon 

 one in such a position you would more readily believe it were some strange 

 animal [mammal] than a bird. There is a gradual ruffling of the feathers until 

 they are fluffed out all over the body and the rail is more than twice his 

 usual proportions. Now the short wings are not noticeable and the little tail 

 shows but slightly. The head is twisted about by slow degrees until like a 

 flash it disappears. It has gone into that ball of feathers, but where? Of 

 course, it is under the wing, but looking at the transformation you would never 

 know. Where the neck was lost in the ball there is a circle which reminds 

 you of the end of a lady's muff, only the brown has harmonized beautifully 

 with the black of the body and its dainty flecking of white. We touched the 

 little fellow once while he was thus fluffed up. Out came his head but it was 

 quickly popped into place again (H. B. Taylor, 1898, pp. 79-80). 



The bird held captive by H. R. Taylor was fed eight earthworms 

 for one meal. Several stomachs of Black Rails taken by Huey (1916, 

 p. 60) in San Diego County contained remains of Isopod crustaceans 

 belonging to the species called Alloniscus mirabilis. A captive indi- 

 vidual was fed upon bread crumbs, some of these crustaceans, and 

 some "garden bugs." 



This is another of the marsh birds which meets death to some 

 extent by accident. There are two instances of the sort on record. 

 A bird was found on the main street of Santa Cruz in September, 

 1903, which had been killed by flying against a wire (Emerson, 1904, 

 p. 38) ; and one was picked up August 4, 1876, beneath where it had 

 been killed by flying against the Point Loma Light, near San Diego 

 (Belding, MS). 



The California Black Rail, like many another of the rarer birds 

 really merits but a casual place on any list of game birds. Probably 

 not more than ten sportsmen in a thousand have ever seen this bird, 



