Nov., 1916 
FROM FIELD AND STUDY 
229 
these ponds for a temporary abiding place from which it sallied forth from time to time 
to scan the neighboring lagoons for stray fish floating on the surface of their waters, 
flying up and down each lagoon or lakelet for a few turns, picking up a tidbit here and 
there and finally returning to its resting place at the shallow ponds. 
For several years past large terns have been noticed in the spring, mostly in May, 
flying north in groups of two or three, some days quite a number passing by, perhaps 
half a dozen being in sight at once. But no opportunity ever offered for procuring a 
specimen for positive identification, although there seemed but little doubt as to the spe- 
cies being Sterna caspia. It always happened that when my gun was near, the birds were 
too far away to reach, and when they were near enough the gun was too far away! Re- 
turning in the fall the same thing happened. This fall, however, the large terns were 
first noticed on September 4, when three or four were seen flying up and down a charm- 
ing little lake upon the shore of which the main house is situated. Retiring shortly 
from this lake the birds flew over the shallow ponds spoken of above, which they evi- 
dently made their headquarters. 
For several weeks after this date some of these birds were always in evidence, while 
their rather harsh cry or else a sort of gentle little short and trilling whistle could be 
heard not only at any time of daylight but even in the late dusk of the evening. They 
were very wary and the chances of happening within gunshot greatly against the col- 
lector, but two specimens were finally secured, proving their identity beyond a doubt. 
On October 6 there were still three or four of the birds on the place. — Joseph Maii.liard, 
San Francisco, California. 
Nesting Habits of the Virginia Rail in Mariposa County, California. — On June 5, 1916, 
while mowing grass in a small marsh on our home place, on Smith Creek near Coulter- 
ville, Mariposa County, California, my father discovered the nest and eggs of a Virginia 
Rail ( Rallies virginianus) . The nest was a tower-like structure composed of flat marsh 
grasses. It measured eight inches in height and the same in diameter. The ten brown- 
and lilac-spotted eggs were just beginning to be incubated. 
As compared with eggs of other birds nesting in this vicinity they resemble most 
closely those of the Valley Quail, but are proportionately longer and darker colored. The 
grass clump in which the nest was situated was not disturbed in mowing, and near by 
there was a high bank from which the nest could be easily observed. When anyone ap- 
proached the vicinity of the nest the incubating bird would slip quietly off; but some- 
times she could be heard splashing through the water as she ran. Usually she did not go 
more than six feet from the nest and would then stand quietly in the grass where she 
would appear like nothing more than a dark shadow. Whenever any one of us would go 
near the nest, which we did almost every day, the female would utter a low clucking 
sound. 
Nothing was seen of the male until June 18 when, as we approached the nest, an ear- 
piercing scream came from him as he stood some distance away in the marsh grass. This 
whistle was answered by a similar but softer note from his mate. The male showed 
himself only momentarily as he skulked through the grass as if attempting to distract 
our attention from the nest. 
On June 19 there were six coal black young in the nest. They had black-ringed pink 
bills, and their feet were very large in proportion to their bodies. Now the demeanor of 
the female changed. She forgot her shyness and walked out in the open within three 
feet of where we stood. She fluffed up her feathers after the manner of a sitting hen 
and uttered many clucks and whistles which were answered by the shrill whistle of the 
male. He was not so brave as she, and did not show himself except at intervals. On 
this same day several of the young clambered out of the nest into the water. We replaced 
them and quitted the vicinity so as not to disturb the family. Later in the day we vis- 
ited the nest again and found the female absent. Soon the male whistled, his mate an- 
swered, and she soon appeared from a grass clump, swimming and wading across a bit 
of open water to the nest. 
By the evening of the nineteenth another egg had hatched and on the morning of the 
twentieth two more. The last egg hatched on the afternoon of the twentieth. On the 
morning of June 21 the family had departed and we saw no more of them, save for one 
that showed itself for a moment in the marsh one day late in July. — Donald D. McLean, 
Coulterville, California. 
