286 
FRANK FORESTER’S FIELD SPORTS. 
wherein Canary Birds were confined, and resolved that on the 
succeeding day, I would endeavor to discover whether or not 
the passion of anger had produced the fit. I entered the room 
at the appointed time, and approached the bird, which had re¬ 
tired on beholding me, in sullen humor, to a corner. On point¬ 
ing my finger at it, its feathers were immediately ruffled, and 
in an instant it sprang forward, as in the first instance, and fell 
into a similar fit. The following day the experiment was re¬ 
peated, with like effect. 
“ ‘ In the* fall of 1811, as I was shooting among the reeds, I 
perceived a Rail rise hut a few feet before my batteau. The 
bird had risen about a yard, when it became entangled in 
the tops of a small bunch of reeds, and immediately fell. Its 
feet and neck were extended, as in the instances above men¬ 
tioned, and before it had time to recover, I killed it. Some 
few days afterwards, as a friend and I were shooting in the 
same place, he killed a Rail, and as we approached the spot to 
pick it up, another was perched not a foot off, in a fit; I took 
up the latter and placed it in the crown of my hat; in a few 
moments it revived, and was as vigorous as ever. 
“ * These facts go to prove that the Rail is subject to gusts of 
passion, which operate to so violent a degree as to produce a 
disease similar in its effects to epilepsy. I leave the explana¬ 
tion of the phenomena to those pathologists who are competent 
and willing to investigate it. It may be worthy to remark that 
the birds affected as described, were all females, of the Galli- 
nula Carolina , or common Rail.’ 
“ The Rail, though generally reputed a simple bird, will 
sometimes manifest symptoms of considerable intelligence. To 
those acquainted with Rail shooting, it is hardly necessary to 
mention that the tide in its flux is considered an almost indis¬ 
pensable auxiliary, for when the water is off the marsh, the 
lubricity of the mud, the height and compactness of the reed, 
and the swiftness of foot of the game tend to weary the sports¬ 
man and to frustrate his endeavors. 
“ Even should he succeed in a tolerable degree, the reward is 
