BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND xMARSHES 



212. VIRGINIA RAIL. — Rallus virgin ianu.s: 

 Family: The Rails^, Galliniiles^ and Coots. 



Uiigfh: 9.30. 



Adults : Upper parts brownish olive, striped with sooty ; breast 

 and wing-coverts light chestnut ; wings and tail dark olive- 

 brown ; cheeks gray ; throat white ; under parts light chest- 

 nut; sides barred with white. 



Downy Youiuj : Uniform black. 



Geographical DistrihtUion : North America, from the British 

 provinces south to Guatemala. 



Breeding Range : Wherever resident. 



Breeding Season: April, May, and June. 



Nest : A mat of grasses ; placed on a hummock in a marsh. 



Eggs : 7 to 12 ; buffy, marked with chestnut. Size 1.24 X 0.94. 



101 



The Virginia Rail, although more common east 

 of the Rockies, is by no means rare throughout jl 

 California. He is an odd-looking 

 bird with voice and manners in keep 

 ing with his appearance. In 

 the early morning and at 

 twilight his call is a curi- 

 ous combination of grunt 

 and s(iueal. The love 

 song, liowever, is quite 

 different ; it is de- 

 scril)C(l as "a guttural 

 ctif, riitt((-ciitl(i-ciilfn oft 

 repeated for hours in suc- 

 cession." You iiave only 

 to visit a marsh lake in 

 the afternoon or early in 

 the morning and listen, 







'S^-^-.--^^.:'^' 



212. ViU(;i.NiA Rail. 



Pirlintj fits irnij cuntiously hettrfrii the tules." 



