RALLIDAE (Rails and Coots) 
because the ruffed and spruce grouse 
are absent. Along the north shore of 
Lake Superior, the nearest mainland, 
the sharp-tailed grouse is rare or 
absent while the others are common 
residents. Apparently the sharp¬ 
tailed grouse has been a year round 
resident of Isle Royale for a long 
time. The first recorded observa¬ 
tions are in the journal for the light¬ 
house station at Menagerie Island 
(Siskiwit Bay) by Stearns and Malone 
(40). It is found mostly on the higher 
open ridges and in the burned-over 
areas (fig. 14). It has been recorded 
by Scott (17) , Peet (14), Wood (20,21), 
Aldous (24), Aldous and Krefting (25), 
Gensch (29) , Krefting (32) , Lee and 
Krefting (36) , and Krefting and Lee 
(34). Shelton saw an adult with young 
on the Feldtmann Trail, June 22, 1960, 
and a nest with seven young freshly 
hatched and five eggs, four of which 
were almost hatched, on the Greenstone 
Ridge Trail about 2 miles east of 
Chickenbone Lake on June 25, 1960 (39). 
49. Virginia Rail ( Rallus limicola 
Vieillot) 
One Virginia rail was flushed 
from the sedge mat of an almost-closed i 
bog half a mile south of the head of 
Conglomerate Bay on July 1, 1962, by 
P. Shelton and S. Viers„ This is the 
only record for Isle Royale (39). 
*50. Sora ( Porzana Carolina (Linnaeus)) 
The sora is an uncommon migrant 
and summer resident. However, there 
is a possibility that it may nest on 
the island. Observations have been 
mostly of single birds in habitat 
associated with beaver ponds and 
small streams (2_1, 22, 30 ) . 
51. American Coot ( Fulica americana 
Gmelin) 
The coot is a rare migrant and 
has been observed both spring and fall 
(21, 22, 36). 
Figure 14. Sharp-tailed grouse habitat. 
28 
