VO *l9Cm m ] Braislin, Florida Gallinule .Xesting near New York. 189 
THE FLORIDA GALLINULE NESTING ON LONG 
ISLAND, NEW YORK. 
BY WILLIAM C. BRAISLIN, M. D. 
The previously accepted status of the Florida Gallinule ( Galli - 
nula cjaleata) has been that of a rare migrant in the vicinity of 
New York City. It may, however, be properly classed as a 
locally common summer resident. It cannot be claimed that its 
breeding has not heretofore been suspected. The Messrs. W. F. 
and John Hendrickson, whose ornithological collecting has brought 
to light a number of valuable bird records, notices of which have 
appeared in ‘ The Auk’, have had an unverified record of a Gallinule 
breeding in the Long Island City marshes of several years standing. 
This record will be referred to presently. 
The generous assistance of the Messrs. Hendrickson, first in 
directing my attention to the unpromising region situated near 
the center of Long Island City, and likewise their direct cooperation 
and assistance in my investigation, have made it possible to estab- 
lish the fact of the Gallinule’s nesting here. More than two 
years ago Mr. William Dutcher courteously directed the attention 
of the writer to this region as one which might be profitably in- 
vestigated; he, in turn, having received his information from the 
Messrs. Hendrickson. 
A letter received from Mr. W. F. Hendrickson at that time, in 
reply to my questions, contains information which led to my 
exploration of the region. The following is a quotation from it: 
“In regard to the Florida Gallinule nesting more or less regularly 
in Long Island City, I beg to say that I believe that at least one 
pair has nested in the ponds along Judson Avenue and the Long 
Island Railroad tracks, near the Queens County Court House, for 
seven or eight years past. I believe also that the Coot has bred 
there. My brother and I have taken specimens of both Coot 
and Gallinule, and some years ago my brother found a nest, which 
contained seven or eight eggs, we believed to be that of the 
Gallinule, but, for some reason which I have forgotten, the eggs 
were not taken. My recollection is that I wanted to either see 
the birds at close range or to shoot one of them as a positive means 
