120 
RALLUS CAROLINUS. 
discovered it to be a rail, very vigorous, and in perfe<!* 
health. The bird was placed in a small room, on a giO' I 
case, and I was amusing myself w'ith it, when, in the | 
act of pointing my finger at it, it suddenly sprang forward | 
apparently much irritated, fell to the floor, and, stretchio? j 
out its feet, and bending its neck until the head nearly 
touched the back, became to all appearance lifelcs^ 
Thinking the fall had killed the bird, I took it up, ao® i 
began to lament my rashness in provoking it. In > I 
few minutes it again breathed, and it was some t'lfOf 
before it perfectly recovered from the fit, into which, 
now appeared evident, it had fallen. I placed the raij 
in a room, wherein canary birds were confined, an® 
resolved that, on the succeeding day, I would endeavo®'’ 
to discover whether or no the passion of auger ha*l 
produced the fit. I entered the room at the appoint®*! 
time, and approached the bird, which had retired, o# 
beholding me, in a sullen humour, to a corner. O® 
pointing my finger at it, its feathers were immediately 
ruflled, and in an instant it sprang forward, as in rh® 
first instance, and fell into a simil.ar fit. The following 
day the experiment was repeated with the like effeci- 
In the fall of 181 1, as I was gunning amongst the reed* 
in pursuit of rail, 1 perceived one rise but a few fe®* 
before my batteau. The bird had risen about a ya*^ 
when it be(ame entangled in the tops of a small buiicl' 
of reeds, and immediately fell. Its feet and neck wet® 
extended, ns in the instance above mentioned, and, befot® 
it had time to recover, I killed it. Some few day* 
afterw'ards, as a friend and I w'ere gunning in the sani® 
place, he shot a rail, and, as we ajiproachcd the spot t® 
pick it up, another w'as perceived, not a foot olF, in ® 
fit. I took up the bird, and placed it in the crown n‘ 
my hat. In a few moments it revived, and was 
vigorous as ever. These facts go to prove, that the rai* 
is subject to gusts of passion, which operate to so violent 
a degree as to produce a disease, similar in its effects t® 
epilepsy. I leave the explication of the phenomenon 
to those physiologists who are competent and willing 
to investigate it. It may be worthy of remark, tb» 
