242 



RAIL. 



with these birds between the mainland and the islands, so as 

 to leave no doubt on my mind of the fact. For why should 

 it be considered incredible that a bird which can both swim 

 and dive well, and at pleasure fly with great rapidity, as I 

 have myself frequently witnessed, should be incapable of 

 migrating, like so many others, over extensive tracts of land 

 or sea ? Inhabiting, as they do, the remote regions of 

 Hudson's Bay, where it is impossible they could subsist dur- 

 ing the rigours of their winter, they must either emigrate 

 from thence or perish ; and as the same places in Pennsyl- 

 vania which abound with them in October are often laid 

 under ice and snow during the winter, it is as impossible that 

 they could exist here in that inclement season. Heaven has, 

 therefore, given them, in common with many others, certain 

 prescience of these circumstances, and judgment, as well as 

 strength of flight, sufficient to seek more genial climates 

 abounding with their suitable food. 



The rail is nine inches long, and fourteen inches in extent; 

 bill, yellow, blackish towards the point ; lores, front, crown, 

 chin, and stripe down the throat, black ; line over the eye, 

 cheeks, and breast, fine light ash ; sides of the crown, neck, 

 and upper parts generally, olive brown, streaked with black, 

 and also with long lines of pure white, the feathers being 

 centred with black on a brown olive ground, and edged with 

 white ; these touches of white are shorter near the shoulder 

 of the wing, lengthening as they descend ; wing, plain olive 

 brown ; tertials, streaked with black, and long lines of white; 

 tail, pointed, dusky olive brown, centred with black ; the four 

 middle feathers bordered for half their length with lines of 

 white ; lower part of the breast marked with semicircular 

 lines of white on a light ash ground; belly, white; sides under 

 the wings, deep olive, barred with black, white, and reddish 

 buff; vent, brownish buff; legs, feet, and naked part of the 

 thighs, yellowish green ; exterior edge of the wing, white ; 

 eyes, reddish hazel. 



The females and young of the first season have the throat 



