Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-12
Concerning the Carolina Rail.
To the Editor OF THE EvEs1sa STAR:

communication from sc. T. All last Satur-
days STAR, evidently from gentleman interested
In the uniformity OF the nomenclature OF our
BIRDS is so full OF positive error and tainted with
superstition that correction OF some OF his state
msnts viii not be out OF order The so-called
"Ortolan"1 Is the Carolina Rail {Pdrzana Carolina)
known also by the names OF Common Rail and
Sora, the latter being the general term applied
throughout Maryland and Virginia 1t is the
most abundant and familiar of our
ana the birds most during the
the sportsman. Habitually skulking and hid
Ing rather than seeking safety in open flight is
observation even In localities where 1t occurs in
considerable numbers Its habitat includes the
whole OF temperate North America, but it Is far
more abundant in the Atlantic than In the Pacific
states. The bird is not web-fOoted. but Is pro-
vded with very long toes which enable 1t to tread
soft mud or vegetation. 1t travels through the
tall reeds with surprising swrtnsss at low
tide e., az, and lat at high tide when the marshes
ing the absence OF webbed feet 1t swims with ease
and never heSitates to navigate In that manner
from one clump OF reeds to another when occasion
requires rather than take wing. The wings are
short and rounded, and the flight appears so feeble
that many sportsmen persist in doubling its abil-
lily to perform extensive migratiOns, nevertheless
such is the fact they often board vessels at sea
between the southern states and the West India
Although not truly gregarious 1t is far from "a sol-
tary bird" as is evidenced by their sudden and
plShtliul ARRIVAL ana departure. In the m1gr1-
lions favorable winds taken advantage OF.
They breed in most OF the northern states and
British America, laying four or I'VE eggs OF
dark drab color, with brownish spots, In a nest
rudely constructed OF coarse grasses. The young
Are covered with a backish down. and, like the
quail, are active soon as out OF the she'll &c.
4. A." says, From whence they come or where
they go after the first heavy frost Is mystery
that future ornithOlOgists will have to rise and
explain" This IS a remnant of the absurd
superatitiOns that prevailed in the minds OF
the colOred people before the war, and even now
many can be found on the banks OF the Potomac
or Patuxent rivers firm In the belief that the
Rails hibernate in the mud OF the m arshes or turn
into frogs. Wilson records an old man who
claimed to have Captured a specimen in which the
TRANSFORMATION was but half accomplished, and 1t
lived three dayS-out Wilson didn't believe the
story. The real fact OF the case is that the Rail
performs It's migratiOnS only at night, which Is
the case with most migrants, and cOnSe-
quantly Its arrival and departure are sell
dom observed. Moreover the nature OF its feed
Ing grounds and haunt5 precludeS the possibility
OF It's being detected as readily as land birds.
Hence many theories have been invented to &C
count for their seemingly inexplicable advent.
The same writer has also somewhat mixed up the
common names OF the Reed Bird, (DClichonpr ORR
zDrOroatS) In the northern states this bird is The
familiar BobO,ink, in the middle states the Reed
Bird, In the southern states the Rice Bird, and in
the West India Islands the Butter Bird.
r