. Bird-lore . ocus, several good pictures were secured. She came out from cover time after time, running at me with wings droop-ing and feathers ruffled, and seemed determined to drive me away. I couldeasily bring her to me by giving the flags by the nest a little shake, when shewould give little grunts and run right up to the camera. To catch her withwings drooping was a task. She came so quickly and so close, her image grow- The Summer Life of the Virginia Rail 245 ing rapidly until it covered the ground-glass as she jumped up and struck thecamera. June 17 the eggs were beginning to hatch, a
. Bird-lore . ocus, several good pictures were secured. She came out from cover time after time, running at me with wings droop-ing and feathers ruffled, and seemed determined to drive me away. I couldeasily bring her to me by giving the flags by the nest a little shake, when shewould give little grunts and run right up to the camera. To catch her withwings drooping was a task. She came so quickly and so close, her image grow- The Summer Life of the Virginia Rail 245 ing rapidly until it covered the ground-glass as she jumped up and struck thecamera. June 17 the eggs were beginning to hatch, and there were six silky, blacklittle ones in the nest. Three of them followed the mother when she left thenest and hid in the flags around its base. The three others were not yet dryand with their bright eyes shining lay kicking and struggling to get out of thenest. Soon the mother came back calling softly ka ka ka ka ka, and the youngones left their hiding-place and ran to her. One of them fell into one of my. EGGS AND NEWLY HATCHED YOUNG OF VIRGINIA RAIL foot-tracks, and the mother came quickly and, taking it up, ran off into theflags, carrying it dangling from her bill as a cat carries her kittens. The malenow showed himself for the first time. He kept close to the outlying cover,scolding as he dodged in and out among the flags and grass. Next day as I approached, the female was on the nest brooding and themale began to scold from the cover. A few times he came out and charged atme with wings drooping but did not come close like the female. When thefemale left the nest, the young (and there was now a nestful) immediatelyfollowed, scattering and hiding in the grass. There was now but one egg leftunhatched, and the chick came out of it twenty minutes later. Soon after
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirdsperiodicals
