40 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 67 



nant vegetation types are saltmarsh cordgrass and saltmarsh bulrush 

 (table 4) . Highti de-bush borders the tidal guts. 



Table 4. — Plant composition at three stations in Broadway Meadows, Del., in 1960 

 [In percent, based on estimates for five lO-foot-square quadrats at each station; tr.=trace] 



Fleming's Taylor's Gut Woodland 

 Landing (Intermediate Beach 

 (King Rails area; King Causeway 

 only) and Clapper (Clapper 

 Rails) Rails only) 



Saltmeadow cordgrass -.- 50 tr 



Saltmarsh cordgrass. -. 15 60 70 



Saltmarsh bulrush 30 20 



Big cordgrass .- - 5 10 10 



Olney's three-square 25 



Hightide-bush 5 10 - 



Saltgrass tr. tr. 



Groundsel-bush tr 



Two miles inland at Fleming's Landing only King Rails were ob- 

 served. The vegetation at Fleming's Landing is composed mostly of 

 saltmeadow cordgrass and saltgrass {Distichlis spicata). Occasional 

 patches of Olney's three- square, big cordgrass, and saltmarsh cord- 

 grass were distributed through the saltmeadow marsh, and as in the 

 intermediate area at Taylor's Gut, hightide-bush bordered some of 

 the tidal guts. 



Two miles further toward Delaware Bay along the Woodland Beach 

 Causeway, Clapper Rails were abundant, but King Rails were not 

 observed. Saltmarsh cordgrass and saltmarsh bulrush were the domi- 

 nant plants at this station. Hightide-bush was not present. 



It is interesting to note that in the Taylor's Gut area salinity read- 

 ings are intermediate between those at the other stations (table 5). 



Table 5. — Salinity determinations at three stations in Broadway Meadows, Del. 



in 1960 



[In parts per million. Water samples were analyzed in the chemistry laboratory, Patuxent Wildlife Research 

 Center, Laurel, Md.; sea strength is 32,000 to 35,000 p.p.m.] 





Fleming's 

 Landing 



Taylor's 

 Gut 



Woodland 



Beach 

 Causeway 



Low tide 



High tide— 



4,380 



3,700 



7, 190 

 5, 670 



7,600 

 7,480 



The red- jointed fiddler crab was abundant at Taylor's Gut during 

 the period 1959 through 1963, and formed the main food of the rails. 

 There was a marked diminution in the fiddler crab population in 1964, 

 and a corresponding decrease in the rail population. 



Other breeding birds at Taylor's Gut in order of relative albundance 

 are the Long-billed Marsh Wren, Red- winged Blackbird, Song Spar- 

 row {Melospiza melodia) , Seaside Sparrow (Amiuospiza maritima) , 



