. The water-fowl family . nches. Individ-ual measurements vary considerably. Eggs — Nine to twelve in number, creamy white in color, markedwith small spots and blotches of purplish slate, measure inches. Habitat — Fresh-water marshes of the eastern United States, westto Texas and Kansas; breeding from its southern limit northregularly to New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Ontario,Michigan, Nebraska, and probably Minnesota, and occurringirregularly to Maine, New Brunswick, South Dakota, and possi-bly Manitoba and Utah. Winters chiefly in the southern half ofits range, north occasi
. The water-fowl family . nches. Individ-ual measurements vary considerably. Eggs — Nine to twelve in number, creamy white in color, markedwith small spots and blotches of purplish slate, measure inches. Habitat — Fresh-water marshes of the eastern United States, westto Texas and Kansas; breeding from its southern limit northregularly to New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Ontario,Michigan, Nebraska, and probably Minnesota, and occurringirregularly to Maine, New Brunswick, South Dakota, and possi-bly Manitoba and Utah. Winters chiefly in the southern half ofits range, north occasionally to Rhode Island, Massachusetts,and southern Illinois. Accidental in Cuba. Fresh-water marshes of the Southern and Mid-dle states are the common resorts of the king rail,and thence it straggles to the northern border ofthe United States and has been taken in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Texas,this bird is a resident throughout the year, but itssecretive habits, and the protective nature of the. Rail-shooting 275 haunts, make it difficult to secure. The king railbreeds in the marshes it frequents, building a nestof withered reeds and grasses to a height of sixinches or more from the ground. Eight to teneggs are laid, and in the South incubation is begunearly in April. The birds are said to use thesame nests year after year. The young when firsthatched are covered with black down, and closelyresemble little rats. Where there are extensivemarshes near sluggish streams, occasionally aglimpse is caught of this bird, but the slightestmotion causes it to dart out of sight. The foodconsists of various seeds, small water animals,tadpoles, crayfish, etc., and the flesh is not theequal of the smaller rail. Some confusion hasalways existed between this species and the clap-per rail, not only among sportsmen but also orni-thologists. The king rail is seldom taken on salt-water marshes, and the birds called king rails bygunners in these localities are in the grea
Size: 1326px × 1884px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectfowling, bookyear1903
