Part 108

From Louisiana to New Jersey, in fresh-water meadows and marshes, difficult of access. Migratory.

Rallus jamaicensis, Briss. Suppl. p. 140.

Least Water Rail, Rallus jamaicensis. Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 359.

GENUS IV. RALLUS, Linn. RAIL.

Bill much longer than the head, slender, compressed, very slightly decurved, high at the base; upper mandible with the dorsal line almost straight, until towards the end, where it is slightly curved, the ridge a little flattened at the base, and extending slightly on the forehead, convex toward the end, nasal sinus forming a groove extending to two-thirds, the sides nearly erect, the edges slightly inflected, the notches very slight, the tip rather obtuse; lower mandible with the angle very long and extremely narrow, the dorsal line almost straight, the sides erect and a little convex, the edges involute, the tip narrowed but obtuse. Nostrils lateral, subbasal, linear. Head, small, oblong, much compressed; neck long and slender; body slender, much compressed. Feet long; tibia, bare below; tarsus rather long, stout, compressed anteriorly covered with broad scutella; hind toe very small and tender, fourth little longer than second, anterior toes very long, scutellate, compressed. Claws of moderate length, arched, slender, much compressed, acute. Plumage rather stiff; feathers of the forehead with the shaft enlarged, and extended beyond the tip. Wings very short and broad; third quill longest. Tail very short, much rounded, of twelve feeble rounded feathers, scarcely longer than the coverts.

311. 1. Rallus elegans, Aud. Great Red-breasted Rail.--Fresh-water Marsh-Hen.

Plate CCIII. Male and Young.

Upper part of head and hind neck dull brown; a brownish-orange line over the eye; lower eyelid white; loral space and band behind the eye dusky; upper parts of the body streaked with brownish-black and light olive-brown, the two sides of each feather being of the latter colour; wing-coverts dull chestnut; most of the irregularly tipped with white primaries deep olive-brown; secondaries and tail-feathers like the back; sides and fore part of neck, with the breast, bright orange-brown; sides of the body and lower wing-coverts undulated with deep brown and greyish-white; tibial feathers pale greyish-brown, faintly barred with darker, as is the hind part of the abdomen; lower tail-coverts white, each with a blackish-brown spot near the end, those in the middle barred with black and white. Female and young similar, but with the tints duller. Iris bright red.

Male, 19, 25. Female, 18, 24.

From Texas to New Jersey, more common from Louisiana to North Carolina. Inland swamps and marshes. Once met with in Kentucky.

Great Red-breasted Rail, Rallus elegans, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 27.

312. 2. Rallus crepitans, Gmel. Clapper Rail.--Salt-water Marsh-hen.

Plate CCIV. Male and Female.

Upper part of head and hind neck olivaceous brown; a brownish-orange line from the bill to the eye; lower eyelid white; loral space, cheeks, and part of the sides of the neck bluish-grey; upper parts of the body streaked with greenish-olive and light 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; primaries olive-brown, secondaries and tail-feathers like the back; upper part of throat yellowish-white, edged on either side with pale yellowish-brown; sides and fore part of neck bluish-grey, tinged with 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 greyish-white; lateral tail-coverts with the outer webs white; tibial feathers similarly barred, but paler; middle of abdomen greyish-white; iris pale yellow. Female with the tints duller.

Male, 15, 20-3/4. Female, 14, 19-1/4.

Exceedingly abundant from Texas to New Jersey, breeding in all salt-water marshes. Few proceed eastward beyond Long Island. Constantly resident from the Carolinas southward. Not inland.

Clapper Rail, Rallus crepitans, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 112; but not the figure, which is that of R. elegans.

Clapper Rail, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 201.

Clapper Rail or Salt-water Marsh-Hen, Rallus crepitans, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 33; v. v. p. 570.

313. 3. Rallus Virginianus, Linn. Virginian Rail.

Plate CCV. Male, Female, and Young.

Upper parts deep brownish-black, streaked with live olive-brown; sides of the head dull bluish-grey, loral space of a deeper tint; a brownish-orange line to the eye; quills and primary coverts; blackish-brown; smaller coverts dark chestnut; throat reddish-white; fore neck and breast bright orange-brown, approaching to yellowish-red; sides, abdomen, and lower wing-coverts barred with brownish-black and white, the bands of the latter narrower; tibial feathers dusky anteriorly, light reddish behind; lower tail-coverts with a central brownish-black spot, their edges white, the tips pale reddish. Female and young similar, but with somewhat duller tints.

Male, 10-1/2, 14-1/4. Female, 9-1/4.

Distributed through the country, and along the Atlantic shores, from Texas to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; breeding in all the districts. Frequents fresh and salt water. Returns southward in autumn, when great numbers spend the winter from Carolina to Louisiana.

Virginian Rail, Rallus virginianus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 109.

Rallus virginianus, Bonap. Syn. p. 334.

Lesser Clapper Rail, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 205.

Virginian Rail, Rallus virginianus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 41; v. v. p. 573.