. Feathered game of the Northeast . dispersion, there being at the proper sea-son some representative in every habitablequarter of the globe. The characteristics of thedifferent members of the family are everywherethe same; the bodies, thin and compressed, mak-ing up for a lack of beam by a much greaterdepth than usual; the legs long and very mus-cular, with large feet and long toes to assist intheir traveling easily over the floating grassesand drift stuff so plentiful in their favoritehaunts. Their wings are short and rounded,and have nothing like the sail area of thebay snipe. From this fac
. Feathered game of the Northeast . dispersion, there being at the proper sea-son some representative in every habitablequarter of the globe. The characteristics of thedifferent members of the family are everywherethe same; the bodies, thin and compressed, mak-ing up for a lack of beam by a much greaterdepth than usual; the legs long and very mus-cular, with large feet and long toes to assist intheir traveling easily over the floating grassesand drift stuff so plentiful in their favoritehaunts. Their wings are short and rounded,and have nothing like the sail area of thebay snipe. From this fact their flight iswidely different from the free, bold and power-ful action of the plover-snij^e group. Indeed itis such an effort for the Rail to lift his heavybody, long legs and plebeian feet clear of theground that every member of the tribe has aninborn dislike of flying, and so, if pursued, heruns, skulks among the grass stems, crawls intothe drain holes and the half-subterranean pas-sages made by the muskrat and mink, and only. O THE KING KAIL 225 when at the last resort does he rise withclumsy haste, his big feet dangling gracefullybelow him, and flap heavily away, coming to theground again as soon as ever he can with safetyto seek a surer refuge in the grass. Yet inspite of all this they must be capable of a long-sustained flight, for they often cross largebodies of water in their migrations. But whatever the case with their wings thereis never a suspicion of feebleness in their long,muscular legs, and it is to these members thatthey trust mostly for escape from swim well at need, when their long-toedfeet are very serviceable as paddles. Underwater their wings are called to the aid of theirfeet and they make rapid progress, only comingup where they may put their heads out throughthe drift stuff in safety. The King Eail, the largest and handsomestof the family in North America, is a near rela-tion of the clapper rail which is perhaps bet-ter known, but the Kin
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectgameandgamebirds
