70 
BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
which affection appears the more necessary as the male seems to desert 
his mate and leave her in the sole charge of her little family.” 
The Virginia Bail breeds in Chester and Delaware counties. Prof. 
August Kock writes as follows of the species in Lycoming county: 
“ Breeds sparingly, and I think in single pairs, at least I have never 
found more than one family in a locality.” In the counties of Clinton, 
Clearfield and Northumberland, Dr. Van Fleet says this rail breeds quite 
regularly. In other counties the Little Bed Bail is reported to me by 
the following gentlemen, either as an occasional, or regular, but not 
common summar visitant: Lancaster, Dr. A. C. Treichler; Philadelphia, 
Bev. Jos. Johnson; Cumberland, T. L. Neff; Luzerne, Dr. W. L. Hart¬ 
man ; Lehigh, J. F. Kocher; Berks, D. F. Keller; Susquehanna, Dr. H. 
A. Tingley. The food materials of eleven birds, of this species, are 
given in the following table: 
NO. 
Date. 
Locality. 
Food-Materials. 
1 
Sept. 3. 1879. 
Delaware county. Pa. 
Beetles. 
2 
Sept. 15, 1879. 
Philadelphia Market, Pa. 
Insects and jgmall seeds. 
3 
Sept. 15, 1879. 
Philadelphia Market, Pa. 
Fragments of beetles. 
4 
May 13. 1880. 
Chester county. Pa. 
Earth-worms. 
5 
May 30, 1880. 
Chester county. Pa. 
Beetles and vegetable matter. 
6 
July 20, 1882. 
Chester county. Pa.' . . . 
Beetles. 
7 
Oct. 5. 1882. 
Delaware county. Pa. 
Insects and small seeds 
8 
Aug. 14, 1883. 
Wilmington, Del. 
Beetles. 
9 
Sept. 2, 1884. 
Delaware county, Pa. 
Beetles. 
10 
Sept. 2, 1884,. 
Delaware county. Pa. 
Small 4 ' worms. ” 
11 
Sept. 2, 1884,. 
Delaware county, Pa.,. 
Beetles and seeds. 
Genus PORZANA Vieillot. 
Porzana Carolina (Linn.). 
Sora; Carolina Kail; Rail-bird; Common Rail; “Ortolan.” 
Description ( Plate 7). 
Length, about 9 inches ; extent, about 13 ; bill about three-fourths of an inch long. 
This species shows great variations in plumage, in perfect dress the sexes are alike. 
Young or immature birds lack the black of face, chin and throat; the throat and the 
breast, often streaked or patched with bluish-asli, is brownish. 
Adult , in Spring. —Upper parts olive-brown and black, and many feathers spotted 
or streaked on edges with white, flanks and axillars, barred with black and white ; 
feathers about bill, chin and throat black ; line over eye, sides of head, portion of 
neck and breast, plain lead color ; belly, grayish-white ; under tail coverts, rusty 
white; bill (dried skin) greenish yellow, dark toward end ; legs dark greenish ; 
iris brown. 
Habitat.— Temperate North America, but most common in the eastern province, 
breeding chiefly northward. South in winter to the West Indies and northern South 
America. 
The Carolina Bail and Virginia Bail resemble each other in size and 
form, but otherwise are greatly different. First, they differ in plumage, 
secondly, the bill of the Carolina Bail is about three-fourths of an inch 
long, while in the Virginia Bail this organ is often over one and one- 
half inches in length; again, the legs of the Carolina Bail are greenish- 
