UP THE RIVER The thunder-clouds thickened until the whole sky was black; the tide rose in great waves, and the children were glad to be in the house.

But the storm played so many strange pranks that they could not keep away from the windows, asking a hundred questions about things that cannot be put in a bird book.
"If the water keeps up on end, as it is doing now," said Olaf, "it will be a week before I dare take you over to Gull Island; but I was talking to a man from up the river yesterday, and he says the reed shallows are full of Rails--maybe you'd like to see them." "Rails, what are they ?" asked Nat.

"I thought rails were the steel things that cars run on, or else some kind of fence bars." "The Rails that Olaf speaks of are marsh birds," said the Doctor.

"Some are about as big as Robins, and some are bigger still, shaped like long-legged, long-necked, bob-tailed Hens, with long curved beaks.

In fact, some members of the family are called Marsh Hens from this resemblance.