172 BULLETIN 5 0, XJNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



of tips of longest primary coverts. Tail about two-fiftlis as long as 

 wing, the rectrices soft, narrow, and obtusely pointed, mostly hidden 

 by coverts. Tarsus about equal to middle toe without claw, or very 

 slightly shorter, the acrotarsium with a single row of broad, transverse 

 scutella, the planta tarsi with a similar single row, the latter separated 

 from the former (especially on inner side) by a depressed space occu- 

 pied by smaller irregular scales ; outer toe with claw falling decidedly 

 short of base of middle claw, the inner toe, without claw, reaching to or 

 slightly beyond penultimate articulation of middle toe; hallux about 

 as long as basal phalanx of outer toe ; claws relatively small, moderately 

 curved, acute, compressed. 



Pulmage and coloration. — Plumage full, compact, and firm, except 

 remiges and rectrices, which are rather soft, the former very broad and 

 strongly bowed ; contour feathers broad. Upper parts glossy brown or 

 brown and buffy broken by broad stripes or spots of black crossed by 

 narrow lines of white ; under parts brown or buffy anteriorly and later- 

 ally, the abdomen, axillars, and under wing-coverts immaculate white ; 

 middle secondaries mostly white. 



Range. — Nearctic region and northeastern portion of Palearctic 

 region; southern South America; northeastern and southeastern Af- 

 rica. Four species ; only one in North America.'^^ 



KEY TO THE RACES OF COTURNICOPS NOVEBORACENSIS 



a. White transverse marks on upperparts extremely fine (0.3-0.5 mm. wide) 

 Coturnicops noveboracensis noveboracensis (p. 172) 

 aa. V/hite transverse marks on upperparts wider (about 1-1.5 mm. wide) 



Coturnicops noveboracensis goldmani (p. 179) 



COTURNICOPS NOVEBORACENSIS NOVEBORACENSIS (Gmelin) 



Yellow Rail 



Adult (sexes alike), rufescent phase. — Forehead, upper lores, and a 

 broad superciliary band extending to the sides of the occiput, and join- 

 ing with the malar area and sides of the neck of the same color, pos- 

 terior to the ariculars bright, deep tawny-olive, each feather with a 

 very narrow tip of Saccardo's umber; crown (extending in a for- 

 ward-projecting V to the midline of the forehead and widening pos- 

 teriorly) , occiput and nape black, each feather either narrowly trans- 

 versely tipped with white or with this white bar broken into two lateral 



'*! have not seen Zapornia notata Gould, of Uruguay, Patagonia, etc., or 

 Coturnicops ayresit Gurney, of southeastern Africa, both of which are referred 

 to Coturnicops by Sharpe (in Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxiii, 1894, 128, 129) and 

 Peters (Check-list Birds of World, ii, 1934, 193). C. noveboracensis and C. 

 exqiiisita are the forms on which the above description is based. 



