THE VIRGINIAN RAIL. 177 



seldom raise more than one brood, unless their eggs have been destroyed, 

 whether by inundation or otherwise. 



The Virginian Rail is not without enemies; and, although it manifests a 

 good deal of courage, and at times acts towards the Marsh Hawk in the 

 same manner as the Rallus crepitans, it seldom succeeds in its attempts, 

 and on several occasions I have seen that bird seize them as they attempted 

 to strike it with their bill and claws for the purpose of driving it away. 

 The minx, the garfish, the snapping-turtle, and sometimes eels, destroy them, 

 as well as the Sora Rail. 



Whilst at Charleston, in South Carolina, I frequently saw little strings of 

 these birds exposed in the market, at a very low price; and they are excel- 

 lent eating during autumn and winter. Their comparative scarcity, however, 

 prevents the gunner from searching after them with the same eagerness as 

 he pursues the Rallus crepitans, and to shoot a dozen in the course of a 

 day may be considered a remarkable feat. In that country, during the latter 

 part of autumn, and in winter, they are usually met with in the salt-marshes 

 bordering the estuaries of large rivers. 



Like the two preceding species, the Virginian Rail has the power of con- 

 tracting its body to enable it to pass with more ease between the stalks of 

 strong grasses or other plants. When observed unseen, it frequently jerks 

 the tail upwards, in the manner of Gallinules, but the moment it notices any 

 one of its enemies, it droops the tail, lowers its head, and runs off with the 

 quickness of thought. 



The young of this species are at first of a black colour, like that of Rallus 

 crepitans and R. elegans; but, like those of the latter, attain the rufous hue 

 of the parent birds before the commencement of winter, although they 

 increase in size and improve in the depth of their tints probably for several 

 years. 



Virginian Rail, Rallus virginianus, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. vii. p. 109. 



Ralixs virginianus, Bonap. Syn., p. 334. 



Lesser Clapper Rail, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 205. 



Virginian Rail, Rallus virginianus, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iii. p. 41; vol. v. p. 573. 



Male, 10£, 14i. Female, 9$. 



Distributed through the country, and along the Atlantic shores, from 

 Texas to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; breeding in all the districts. 

 Frequents fresh and salt water. Returns southward in autumn, when great 

 numbers spend the winter from Carolina to Louisiana. 



Adult Male. 



Bill longer than the head, slender, compressed, slightly curved, deep at 



