BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 197 



Juvenal (sexes alike). — Frontal shield smaller than in adult leav- 

 ing more of the top of the head to be feathered ; crown and occiput 

 sepia to bister; hind neck similar but washed with oily olive-green; 

 interscapulars, scapulars, and upper back oily brownish olive; wings 

 as in adult but the upper coverts narrowly tipped with pale cream- 

 buff; lower back dusky olive-brown; rump, upper tail coverts, and 

 rectrices Front's brown to mummy brown, the coverts tipped with 

 olivaceous mummy brown, the rectrices externally washed with the 

 same, sides of head tawny-olive to Saccardo's umber, a rather in- 

 distinct loral band tawny-olive; sides of neck tawny-olive; throat, 

 breast, sides, flanks, and thighs ashy, pale avellaneous becoming less 

 ash}^ more pale buffy brown on the sides and flanks and thighs; 

 middle and lower abdomen white slightly washed with buffy ; under 

 tail coverts white; bill with no red, otherwise unfeathered parts 

 colored as in adult. 



Natal down. — Uniform glossy black; the forehead, crown, orbital 

 area, fore part of cheeks, and chin, ornamented by fine hairlike fila- 

 ments of silvery white, densest on forehead, and also sparsely cover- 

 ing the occiput; a few similar filaments on hinder part of secondary 

 coverts; basal half of bill light yellowish brown (in dried skin), 

 crossed anteriorly by an irregular, narrow, black bar; terminal por- 

 tion jet black with a porcelain-white spot near the tip (not extending 

 to the edge, however), and slight indication of a vague spot immedi- 

 ately beneath it, on subterminal portion of lower mandible; tarsi 

 and toes dull light brownish; depth of bill at base greater than 

 length of upper mandible from the nostril.^^ 



Adult male.—Wmg 168-184 (176.2); tail 60-78 (69.7); cuhnen 

 from nostril 16-19 (17.5) ; culmen including frontal shield 45-52 

 (48.7) ; tai-sus 56-64 (60.8) ; middle toe without claw 54.5-64 

 (61.2 mm.).«« 



Adult female.— Wing 161-184 (170.8) ; tail 60-78 (68.2) ; culmen 

 from nostril 15-19 (16.8) ; culmen including frontal shield 41-49.5 

 (45.2) ; tarsus 52-65 (59.3) ; middle toe without claw 51-61 

 (57.8 mm.).«9 



Range. — Breeds in fresh-water marshes from Texas (Harris and 

 Orange Counties) ; Louisiana (Cameron Parish, Avery Island, 



"Readily distinguished from tlie corresi)onding stage of Gallinula cliloropus 

 cachinnans by the much deeper and differently marked bill, much smaller and 

 less elongated nostril, densely feathered head (almost nude in downy young 

 of Gallinula except on sides of crown to above eyes and on occiput), and 

 absence of whitish filaments on lower throat. 



^' Nineteen specimens from Louisiana, Florida, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, and 

 Brazil. 



'* Twenty-seven specimens from Florida, Alabama, Mexico, Costa Rica, Hon- 

 duras, Panama, Cuba, Hispaniola, and Brazil. 



