The Sora Rail 
& 
Mackenzie, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Winters south from northern California, 
Illinois, and South Carolina through middle America to Venezuela, Colombia, and 
Ecuador. Of the widest occurrence during migrations. 
Distribution in California. —Common summer resident, chiefly in fresh water 
marshes throughout the State. Also common in winter in fresh or brackish marshes 
west of the Sierras, north (at least) to Butte County. Widely dispersed during migra¬ 
tions. 
Authorities.—Cassin ( Porzana Carolina ), in Baird, Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv., vol. 
ix., 1858, p. 749 (Colorado River; San Diego); Shufeldt, Jour. Comp. Medicine and Sur¬ 
gery, July, 1888 (16 pp.), 7 figs, (osteology); Ray, Condor, vol. xv., 1913, p. 111 (Lake 
Tahoe; desc. and photos of nest and eggs). 
“AS THIN as a rail’’ does not refer to the Lincoln variety of split 
trees, but to this bird and its congeners. The birds are bilaterally com¬ 
pressed in order to enable them to slip readily between the close-set stalks 
of vegetation. And this they do with almost incredible rapidity, and with¬ 
out leaving a wake of motion by which they may be traced. 
Like the California Clapper Rail, the Sora rises to a dog; or if caught 
feeding inshore some little 
way from his watery fast¬ 
nesses, he Hits over the tops 
of the reeds, drops down sud¬ 
denly, and loses himself im¬ 
mediately in the maze. It 
is idle to follow him when 
alarmed, for he will not rise 
again save under exceptional 
circumstances. Immense 
numbers of these birds used 
to be slaughtered yearly, es¬ 
pecially along the Atlantic 
Coast. They have this at 
least to recommend them,— 
that they are easy practice 
for juvenile hunters. They 
afford less meat, however, 
than so many English Spar¬ 
rows, and qualms of con¬ 
science make poor sauce. 
Though rightly counted 
shy, the Sora possesses one 
trait which brings it into 
frequent notice-curiosity. Taken near Santa Barbara 
^ J STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! 
Photo by the Author 
1541 
