injury to themselves or their relatives ! With what pleasure, perhaps,
have some of them observed the gun of one of their murderers, or the powder
flask of another, fall overboard ! How delighted have they been to see a
canoe overturned by an awkward movement, and their enemies struggling
to reach the shore, or sticking fast in the mud \ Nor have the minx and
racoon come off well, for notwithstanding the expertness of the former
at diving, and the cunning of the latter, many have been shot, and the
boatmen intend to make caps of their fur.
In the Carolinas there are some most expert marksmen, of whom I
know two who probably were never surpassed. One of them I have seen
shoot fifty Marsh-Hens at fifty successive shots, and the other, I am assured,
has killed a hundred without missing one. I have heard or read of
a French king, who, on starting a partridge, could take a pinch of snuff,
then point his gun, and shoot the bird ; but whether this be true or not
I cannot say, although I have witnessed as remarkable a feat, for I have
seen a Carolinian, furnished with two guns, shoot at and kill four Marsh-
Hens as they flew off at once around him ! On speaking once to a friend
of the cruelty of destroying so many of these birds, he answered me as
follows:—" It gives variety to life; it is good exercise, and in all cases
affords a capital dinner, besides the pleasure I feel when sending a mess
of Marsh-Hens to a friend such as you.'*
RALLUS CREPITANS, Gmel. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 713.—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol.ii. p. *Jo6.
CLAPPER RAIL, RALLUS CREPITANS, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. vii. p. 112, but not
the figure, which is that of the preceding species—NuttaU, Manual, vol. ii. p. 201«
Adult Male. Plate CCIV. Fig. 1.
Bill much longer than the head, slender, compressed, slightly curved,
rather deep at the base. Upper mandible with the dorsal line almost
straight until towards the end, where it is slightly curved, the ridge
slightly flattened for a short space at the base, and extending a little
on the forehead, narrow and convex to the end ; a deep groove runs on
either side parallel to the ridge for two-thirds of the whole length; the
edges inflected, with a very slight notch close to the tip. Nostrils lateral,
linear, direct, open and pervious. Lower mandible with the angle
very long, extremely narrow, the sides erect, slightly convex, the edges
inflected, the tip narrowed.
Head small, oblong, much compressed. Neck long and slender. Body
slender, much compressed. Feet long; tibia bare a considerable way
above the joint; tarsus of moderate length, strong, compressed, and anteriorly
covered with broad scutella, posteriorly with smaller, and on the
sides reticulated. Hind toe very small and slender, middle toe longest,
fourth considerably shorter, and but little longer than the second; toes
free, scutellate above, compressed, granulate beneath. Claws of moderate
length, arched, slender, much compressed, acute, flat and margínate
beneath.
Plumage rather stiff, compact and glossed on the upper parts. Feathers
of the head and neck short and blended, of the forehead with the
shaft enlarged and extended beyond the tip. Wings very short and
broad; alula large; primaries curved, broad, tapering, but obtuse, third
longest, second scarcely shorter, first and seventh about equal; secondaries
weak, broad, rounded. Tail extremely short, much rounded, of
twelve feeble, rounded feathers; the upper and lower coverts nearly as
long as the tail-feathers.
Lower mandible and edges of upper yellowish-brown ; ridge of upper
and tips of both deep brown. Iris pale yellow. Feet pale livid grey,
tinged with orange about the tibio-tarsal joint; claws dusky. Upper
part of the head and hind neck dull brown, the bristle-like shafts of the
frontal feathers brownish-black; a pale brownish-orange line from the
bill over the eye; loral space and sides of the head dull bluish-grey, the
two sides of each feather being of the latter colour. Wing-coverts dull
olive, tinged with grey, some of them with slight irregular whitish markings
; alula and primaries olive-brown ; secondaries and tail feathers like
the back. Chin yellowish-white, edged on either side with pale yellowishbrown
; sides and fore part of the neck bluish-grey, tinged more especially
before with dull pale yellowish-brown ; the fore part of the breast of the
latter colour. Lower wing-coverts, sides, hind part of abdomen, and
middle lower tail-coverts undulated with deep greyish-brown and greyishwhite,
lateral tail-coverts with the outer webs white; tibial feathers similarly
barred, but paler, middle of the abdomen greyish-white.
Length to end of tail 15 inches, to end of claws 20, extent of wings 20f;
bill 2§ ; tarsus % middle-toe and claw 2 T
6
g ; wing from flexure 6T% ; tail 2f.
Weight 11 oz.