KEVISION OF THE CLAPPER RAILS OBERHOLSER 327 



Downy young. — "Bill with the under mandible and distal half of the 

 upper as well as an elongated patch over each nostril bright scarlet, 

 the rest livid black" (Newton). 



Measurements. — Adult male ^^: Wing, 138,5-150 (average, 145.5), 

 mm; tail, 56.5-63.5 (61.2); exposed culmen, 62-68 (63.9); tarsus, 

 50-56.5 (54.2); middle toe without claw, 47-49.5 (47.4). Adult 

 female 1^: Wing, 136.5-139.5 (137.6); tail, 56-60 (57.7); exposed 

 culmen, 55-60 (58.2); tarsus, 43.5-50 (47.4); middle toe without 

 claw, 41.5-43.5 (42.5). 



Type locality.- — Punta Picua, Mameyes, Puerto Rico. 



Geographic distribution. — Permanent resident in the West Indian 

 Islands of Puerto Rico, Culebra, Vieques, Tortola, St. Croix, and 

 St. Thomas. 



Remarks. — This is the West Indian race that apparently most 

 closely approaches Rallus longirostris longirostris, but nevertheless its 

 bill is decidedly longer and slenderer than is that of the typical race; 

 the upper parts, including the sides of the head and of the neck, and 

 the upper surface of the wings are darker; and the sides and flanks 

 have narrower white bars. 



In Rallus longirostris limnetis the jugulum nearly ahvays has more 

 or less gray, although occasionally it is practically absent, this part 

 then being plain cinnamomeous. 



The birds from St. Thomas appear to be somewhat more brownish 

 (less grayish) on flanks and upper parts, thus verging a httle toward 

 Rallus longirostris caribaeus, but they are so close to Rallus longirostris 

 limnetis that they seem best referred to this race. 



So far as our specimens show there are two well-defined color phases 

 in this subspecies — a light phase and a dark phase. There is appar- 

 ently no gray-breasted or brown phase, notwithstanding the fact that 

 there is great individual variation on the upper parts, though not so 

 much on the lower surface. For purposes of comparison the following 

 description of the light phase may be useful: 



Adult male, U.S.N.M. no. 80997; St. Thomas Island, West Indies; 

 F. A. Ober, original number, 34. Forehead and crown brown, be- 

 tween snuff brown and bister, most of the feathers with stiff, shiny, 

 bister shafts; occiput and upper cervix ohve brown; rest of liind- 

 neck buffy brown, mixed, particularly on posterior portion, with hair- 

 brown edgings, wliich impart a somewhat streaked effect; feathers of 

 the back and scapulars centrally varying from bufi'y brown to olive 

 brovv^n and sepia, marginally smoke gray, light gra;j7ish olive, or olive 

 gray; rump and upper tail-coverts olive brown, the edgings of the 

 feathers rather lighter and inclhiing to dull grayish olive; rectrices 

 olive brown, deepening to sepia medially, and rather lighter, more 



'5 Eleven specimens, from Puerto Rico, Culebra Island, and St. Thomas. 

 i« Five specimens, from Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. 



