1853.) 495 
The Committee on Dr. Hoy’s continuation of his “ Notes on the 
Ornithology of Wisconsin,” reported in favor of publication. 
Notes on the Ornithology of Wisconsin.—Water Birds. 
[Concluded.] 
RALLID A, (6 species.) - 
*GALLINULA GALEATA, Lich. ; 
Abundant as far north as Lake Winnebago, latitude 44°: 
*Furica Americana, Gmel. 
Common in all large marshes. 
*RALLUS ELEGANS, Aud. 
Abundant, nest in the prairie slews. 
*Ratuus VirRGINIANUS, Lin. 
Common. 
*OrtTyGoMETRA Carorina, Linn. 
Greatly abundant spring and fall, a few remain during summer to nest. 
*ORTYGOMETRA NOVEBORACENSIS, Lath. 
By no means uncommon. The young of this and the preceding three species 
of Rail are fully fledged by the 15th of August. 
GRUIDA, (10 species.) 
Grus AMERICANA, Forster. 
A few white sandhill cranes are occasionally seen in the western part of ;the 
State, near the Mississippi, but never approach the Lake shores, where the fol- 
lowing species 1s common. It would appear that the white is a more southern 
species than the brown. 
*Grus Canapensis, Temm. ; 
Found on all our large prairies. Although we have seen large flights of these 
birds, we never saw, or heard of, a white individual within one hundred miles 
of Lake Michigan. A pair has nested regularly for fifteen years in a swamp 
nine miles from Racine, (we have noticed them ourselves regularly for the last 
seven years,) and they still continue in color unchanged. The locality of this 
nest is ina few tussocks of grass, in the midst of an almost impenetiable swamp, 
the nest is composed of coarse grass, built up ina conical form eighteen inches 
or two feet high, so situated that when the parent bird sits upon, or rather astride 
of this pyramidal nest, her feet hang down on either side into the water. The 
old nest is regularly repaired every spring. 
TANTALUS LOCULATOR, Linz. 
There is a fine specimen of this southern bird in the museum of the Wisconsin 
State Historical Society, at Madison, which was shot near Milwaukie, September, 
1852. 
*ArpeA Heropias, Linz. 
A common species. 
*ARDEA VIRESCENS, Linz. 
Not uncommon in the wooded swamps of the timbered districts, never met 
with in the prairie marshes. 
*BoTAURUS LENTIGINOSUS, Swatns. 
Abundant in the marshes and slews of the prairies. The young are fully 
fledged by the 20th of July. We have witnessed the bittern emit his peculiar 
call—<* pump-ati-gah ;”’ the head is drawn up to the breast, the neck being much 
dilated, when the first syllable pump is uttered in a heavy low tone, the second 
syllable aw is emitted with a partial extension of the neck, and the final gah is 
accompanied with a violent darting forward of the head to the full extent of his 
