340 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.84 



RALLUS LONGIROSTRIS OBSOLETUS Ridgway 



California Clapper Rail 



Rallus elegans var. obsoleius Ridgway, Amer. Nat., vol. 8, no. 2, p. Ill, Feb. 1874 

 ("San Francisco, Cal.")- 



Subspecific characters. — Similar to Rallus longirostris levipes, but tail 

 longer; upper parts practically identical, but the cinnamon of the an- 

 terior lower parts decidedly paler and much less pinkish (more ochra- 

 ceous), usually with a slight gray wash on the jugulum; sides and 

 flanks averaging paler, the white bars on these parts slightly narrower. 



Description. — Adult: "Iris dark brown or orange brown; bill reddish 

 orange at base of lower mandible and along edge of upper, otherwise 

 dusky olive brown; legs and feet dull orange brown, darkest at joints" 

 (Grinnell, Bryant, and Storer). Nestling: Upper parts uniform 

 glossy black with a greenish sheen; lower parts of body duller or more 

 grayish black; basal half of bill blackish, terminal half whitish. 



Measurements. — Adult male^^: Wing, 153.5-170 (average, 161.7) 

 mm; tail, 68-80 (73.1); exposed culmen, 55-66 (60.3); tarsus, 52-61 

 (56.7); middle toe without claw, 47-56 (51.3). Adult female ^•^: 

 Wing, 147-161 (151.6); tail, 60-76 (65.3); exposed culmen, 49-61 (55); 

 tarsus, 45-63 (51.1); middle toe without claw, 44-51.5 (47.4). 



Type locality. — San Francisco, Calif, 



Geographic distribution. — Permanent resident in the coast region of 

 central California; north to north-central California (Humboldt Bay), 

 and south to south central California (Monterey Bay); accidental on 

 South Farallon Island. 



Remarks. — This is a very good subspecies, but it intergrades indi- 

 vidually with Rallus longirostris saturatus. There are two color phases 

 involving the upper surface, but no gray-breasted phase. In the 

 brown phase the edgings of the upper parts are olivaceous, the centers 

 of the feathers ohve-brown. The gray phase differs from the brown 

 phase in having much more grayish edgings on the feathers of the 

 upper surface, particularly on the lower cervix, back, scapulars, and 

 tertials, and also the dark centers of the feathers more blackish (less 

 brownish). Specimens examined came from the localities here listed: 



California: Alameda County (January 9 and 29, 1932, October 

 4 and 9, 1932); Palo Alto (March 29, 1901, October 20, 1907, January 

 19, 1908, October 1, 1909, October 1, 1916, August 4, 1899, September 

 16, 1899); Alviso (November — , 1895, December 16, 1896); one-half 

 mile north of Alviso (December 29, 1934); one mile north of Alviso 

 (December 31, 1934); Point San Mateo (November 10, 1933); salt 

 marshes, Marin County (October 30, 1877); San Francisco Bay 



<5 Twenty-nine specimens, from California. 

 « Twenty-four specimens, from California. 



