BIRD LIFE IN WASHINGTON 
127 
his back, and as lie turns, see his white 
throat and cinnamon brown breast. 
His long reddish bill must be a great 
help in getting bugs out of lily buds and 
see how his long toes help him to run 
across the grass and lily pads. He can 
swim as well as a duck, but with a sort of 
bobbing motion. 
He makes a nest in a tussock of grass 
and lays from six to twelve eggs. The 
nestlings are glossy black. 
“As thin as a rail” refers to this bird 
and not to fence rails. This slimness lets 
them slip through the grass and iveeds. 
