\ Peculiarity in the Nesting Habits 
of the Virginia Rail. 
had completely smashed three of the eggs, 
and driven her bill clear through another 
without otherwise injuring it. We have the 
remaining six still, and in my eyes, on ac- 
count of the eggs drilled by the bird herself, 
they are more valuable than a full set of nine 
which lies beside them. By the way, nine 
eggs is the regulation set laid by the Virginia 
Rail in these parts, although occasionally 
seven makes a full set. 
The peculiarity of the above mentione 
marsh is the strictness of the society, one 
might call it, kept by the birds there. While 
Virginia Rails and Short-billed Marsh Wrens 
( Cistothorous stellar is) abound there, I 
have never seen a Sora Rail ( Porzana Car- 
olina) nor a Long-billed Marsh Wren ( C 'is- 
tothorous fahistris) nor have I heard of 
one ever being seen there. This is all the 
more strange, as a marsh not a mile and a 
half distant is reasonably well stocked with 
all four birds. This has nothing to do with 
the subject, it is true, but it has always seemed 
so singular to me that I do not omit it. 
Since the nest first mentioned, I have found 
a large number j my brother has also done so. 
In each case we were careful to handle the 
eggs and place them in different positions to 
see if the art of fencing would be repeated ; 
but, until this year, the birds simply re- 
arranged the eggs and continued to set. The 
second and last case of the kind happened 
while hunting in a different marsh m the 
early part of last June. I had been hunting 
for Marsh Wrens’ nests but had found nothing 
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Although I have talked with a large num- 
ber of persons and read quite a few books on 
this bird ( Rallus virginianus) , I havebeen 
unable to hear of, or find, a feature in the 
nesting-habits similar to the following. 
The first instance of the kind that has 
come under my notice, occurred on May 30, 
1891. My brother and I were hunting in a 
small marsh in the vicinity of Dedham, Mass., 
for Rail’s nests in particular. We had not J ““"Vnce but a few Short-bill “decoys,” 
been long at work when my wot er ca rked un til my dog showed me a 
out .0 me that he had found a V.rg.ma’s net the g tel „ ins of mne 
with nine eggs. Being at some dis ance, broken jn the same 
,00k me perhaps three minn.es to reach him. TO.* some 
While I was on the wap, he had been hunt- — ^‘dam^e done amounted to 4 
very little more than a thrust clean through, 1. 
but the majority were badly broken. I am U 
surprise and at say .ha, no reason can be given for 
saw the old Rail standing e & ' ag the e „ gs p, a( q been washed clean e 
and, in the most cool and deliberate rece nt rains, leaving the residue in the s 
^Telay b^driling her ogbutnot before she! bottom ot the nest, which proved tha, the j 
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ing within a few yards of the nest and, when 
I came up, we immediately went to it. lo 
our 'surprise and, at the moment, disgust we 
Nesting of the Virginia Rail in New 
Hampshire. 
BY S. ALBERT SHAW. 
nu lutnn uu spare. 
I Hushed the bird from the nest and as she 
Hew rather slowly and awkwardly, with legs 
hanging down at full length, I had a good 
chance to identify her before she dropped into 
a thicket a few rods away. 
During the latter part of the summer of 188G Visited it again on the 28th, and found eight 
a boy brought me an addled egg which he | eggs, and that the surface of the nest had been 
found in an old nest in a swampy pasture and I doubled by the addition of more leaves of the 
which I could not satisfactorily identify, so 1 cat tails and also slightly hollowed, 
decided to make a search for the nest next . The eggs are of a dirty white, covered with 
season hoping the birds would return there lilac spots which are larger and more numerous 
to breed a°-ain° I 011 the lar £ er end - The measurements average 
It was on the 13th of May last that I visited i 1.20x.89. 
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