Nesting of the Sora Rail. 
Five or six years ago a friend brought me 
a set of sixteen eggs of the Sora Rail (Por- 
zana Carolina) which he found in a marsh, and 
on blowing them I found they were in all 
stages of incubation. Some were perfectly 
fresh while some were nearly ready to hatch. 
I thought it strange at the time that there 
should be so much difference in their advance- 
ment, but concluded that the reason was, there 
being so large a set for so small a bird, that 
they did not get even warmth. 
Towards the last of Hay, 1888, however, I 
found a nest myself of the Sora Rail. It con- 
tained three or four eggs when found, and I 
watched it closely. The bird laid an egg every 
day until she had a complete set of thirteen, 
when I collected them, on June 4, 1888, feel- 
ing sure that I had a set of fresh eggs. On 
blowing them, however, I found some of them 
| so far advanced that I could not save them. 
Again on May 19, 1889, I found another nest. 
It contained six eggs. There was a fresh egg 
added to the number eacli day until May 20, 
when the nest contained thirteen eggs, when 
fearing to leave them any longer on account of 
incubation, I collected it, hoping this time to 
get them fresh. But strange to say some of 
them were so badly incubated that I had to 
drill and blow what I could, and after filling 
the others with water, I sunk them in a bowl 
of the same and left them there until the em- 
bryos softened, and then it was with difficulty 
; that I saved them. 
I am thoroughly convinced that the Sora 
Rail begins to set almost as soon as she begins 
to lay, and by the time her set is completed 
her first eggs are far advanced. It must take 
at least ten days from the time that the first 
young bird appears until they are all hatched. 
Therefore collectors who expect to take a full 
set of fresh eggs of the Sora Rail will get disap- 
pointment unless they take a few of the first 
eggs that are laid before the set is completed. 
Since writing the above, I had the good 
fortune on June 16, 1889, of finding four more 
nests of the Sora Rail, one contained ten eggs, 
another twelve, another fourtc en, and another 
sixteen eggs; and a few days later, one of these 
nests contained twenty eggs. This is the 
largest set of Sora Rail’s eggs, I think, that I 
have ever seen recorded. I also had the 
pleasure of watching two of these sets through 
the process of hatching, and, true to my ex- 
pectation, they hatched from day to day, 
as they had been laid. The young left the 
nests as soon as dry, but whether one of the 
parent birds took charge of them or whether 
they shifted for themselves, I am unable to 
say, but the setting birds stuck close to their 
nests until all the eggs were hatched. 
The young birds were coal black all over, 
except a tuft of down longer then the rest 
growing out from under the chin, which was 
red. They also have a red stripe over the 
base of the upper mandible, that looks like a 
blood blister that is ready to break; altogether 
making a curious looking young bird. On June 
1, 1889 I also collected a set of ten eggs of the 
Virginian Rail (Balias virginianus ) from the 
same swamp. James B. Purdy. 
I V.J3ept. 188© p.140-41 
