KALLID^E — THE RAILS — PORZANA. 



367 



Char. Bill shorter than the head, compressed, straight ; nostrils in a wide groove, with a lar^e 

 membrane ; wings moderate ; primaries longer than tertials ; tail short ; legs rather robust the 

 tarsus about the length of the middle toe ; toes long, the inner one slightly shorter than the outer. 

 General form compressed and slender. 



This genus contains very numerous species, inhabiting both temperate and tropical reinons fre- 

 (|uenting marshes and borders of rivers. In the spring and autumn several species nii"rate in lar^e 

 numbers. 



The genus as here considered probably requires subdivision. 



P. Carolina. 



We have not at hand the required material for defining the exact limits of the genus Porzana, so 

 far as its American representatives are concerned. Without, therefore, considering any of the 

 extralimital species, it may suffice to say that of the three which properly belong to North Amer- 

 ica, one (P. Carolina) is a very near relative of the type of the genus (P. maruetta of Europe and 

 Greenland), while the other two are perhaps sufficiently different to justify generic separation. 

 The species which occur in North America are four in number, including one which is merely a 

 straggler to Greenland from the Palaearctic Region. They may l^e distinguished as follows : — 



A. Above, russet-olive, with black blotches and irregular, partly longitudinal, streaks of white. 



(Por::ana.) 



1. P. maruetta. Neck and breast olive, speckled with white ; flanks brown, narrowly and 



irregularly barred with white. Wing, 4.20-4.40 inches ; culmen, .68-72 ; tarsus, 1.20- 

 1.30 ; middle toe, 1.25-1.35. Hab. Palaearctic Region ; casual in Greenland. 



2. P. Carolina. Neck and breast without white specks ; throat blackish, and sides of head 



and neck plumbeous in adult ; throat white, sides of head and neck, with jugulum and 

 breast, fulvous-olive, in young ; flanks l^roadly barred with white and slate-color. Wing, 

 4.15-4.30 inches ; culmen, .75-.90 ; tarsus, 1.25-1.35; middle toe, 1.30-1.45. Hab. 

 North America. 



B. Above, ochraceous, Avith broad black stripes and narrow transverse white bars ; secondaries 



white, forming a conspicuous patch on the extended wing. (Coturnicojjs.) 



3. P. noveboracensis. Head, neck, and breast ochraceous ; flanks dusky, barred with 



whitish ; crissum cinnamon ; lining of wing and axillars white. Wing, 3.00-3.60 inches ; 

 culmen, .50-60; tarsus, .95-1.00 ; middle toe, .90-1.00. ffab. Eastern North America. 

 C Above, blackish brown, speckled with white. (Oreciscus.) 



4. P. jamaicensis. Nape dusky chestnut or sepia-brown; lower parts slate-color or dark 



plimibeous (the throat sometimes whitish), the posterior portions narrowly barred with 

 white. 

 a. jamaicensis. Back speckled with white. Wing, 2.95-3.20 inches ; culmen, .50-. 60 ; 

 depth of bill through base, .20-.25 ; tarsus, .85-90 ; middle toe, .85-.95. Hab. Warm- 

 temperate and tropical America, from the United States to Chili. 

 ^. coturniculus. Back without white specks. Wing, 2.50 inches ; culmen, .60 ; depth 

 of bill through base, .15 ; tarsus, .75 ; middle toe, .85. Hab. Farallon Islands, coast 

 of California. 



