RALLUS.—ARAMIDES. 317 
& Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Amer. i. p. 863"; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxiii. p. 16°; 
A. O. U. Check-]. N. Amer. Birds, 2nd ed. p. 78°; Chapman, Bull. Amer. Mus. N. H. x. 
p- 86°; Oates, Eggs Brit. Mus. i. p. 110, t. 9. fig. 1”. 
Saturate brunneus, nigro late striatus ; tectricibus alarum magis ferrugineis, majoribus externis nigro et albo 
irregulariter fasciatim notatis ; remigibus et rectricibus sepiariis, secundariis intimis dorso concoloribus ; 
pileo nuchaque nigricantibus, plumis indistincte brunneo marginatis ; superciliis et facie laterali fumoso- 
plumbeis, fascia supralorali albida, genis vinaceo lavatis; gutture albo; corpore reliquo subtus vinaceo- 
ferrugineo, abdomine pallidiore isabellino; hypochondriis et subalaribus nigris albo transfasciatis ; crisso 
saturate vinaceo-rufo, subcaudalibus nigris, albo marginatis: rostro brunneo, mandibula flavicante ; pedibus 
olivascenti-brunneis ; iride rubra. Long. tota circa 7°5, ale 3°85, caude 1:6, culm. 1°45, tarsi 1:2. 
(Deser. femine adulte ex Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala, Mus. nostr.) 
Juv. adulto similis, sed supra magis nigrescens, tectricibus alarum lete ferrugineis, et corpore subtus nigro 
vix rufo variegato, gutture et abdomine medio albis distinguendus. (Descr. avis juvenis ex Duefias. 
Mus. nostr.) 
Hab. Norta America generally, from the British Provinces southward ?.—MeExico, 
Mazatlan (Grayson®), Matamoros (Dresser®), Jalapa (Chapman'°), Tizimin, 
N. Yucatan (Gauwmer §); GuaTEMALA, Duenas 8, Ciudad Vieja §, Antigua? (O.S. & 
F. D. G.).—West Inpigs, Cuba °. 
The Virginian Rail, which is the New-World representative of 2. aquaticus of 
Europe, is found over the greater part of North America during the breeding-season, 
and migrates as far south as Guatemala in winter. In Western Mexico it arrives in the 
latter part of October, leaving again in spring, but is not abundant. A specimen was 
obtained at Tizimin, in Northern Yucatan’, on the 25rd June, which suggests the 
probability of its nesting in that district. In Guatemala we found &. virginianus in 
September and October only, and procured specimens at Duefias in both these months, 
one being a young bird, doubtless bred in the marsh near the lake. 
Like all other members of the genus Rallus, this species is very shy and seldom seen 
on the wing; when pressed it escapes by running, threading its way through reeds and 
grass with marvellous speed and agility. Nuttall likens the note to the sound of a 
watchman’s rattle. 
The eggs are cream-coloured, delicately marked with small well-developed spots of 
rufous and pale purple, more frequent at the larger end than elsewhere. 
ARAMIDES. 
Aramides, Pucheran, Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 277 ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxiii. p. 53 (1894). 
The members of the genus Aramides are all somewhat remarkable for their bright 
colour, which contrasts with the sombre plumage of the true Rails. As with them, 
the bill is furnished with a distinct longitudinal groove near the base of the lower 
mandible; the tarsus, however, is longer than in Rallus, and exceeds the length of 
the middle toe and claw. 
Aramides belongs to a group which embraces several genera of the Australian region, 
such as Eulabeornis, Gymnocrex, and Aramidopsis, the last, from the island of Celebes, 
