6oR THE SORA RAIL. 



number tlian the .'-lora's. nia\- certainlx' l)e distinguislied fnun them l)y tlicir 

 ligliter creamy, or grayish wliite tones, as well as by the clearer red uf their 

 markings. 



No. 2.^1. 



SORA RAIL. 



A. O. U. No. 214. Porzana Carolina (Linn.j. 



Synonyms. — Carolina R.ail. Sora. Scree. 



Description. — Adult: Above olive-brown varied by black and white in spots 

 and stripes on back and scapvdars, — the black broad and central, the white narrow 

 and marginal; region about base of bill, chin, throat, and median crown-stripe 

 black; cheeks behind, sides of throat, and breast bluish ash; below olive-brown 

 to dusky, sharply barred with \vliite, whitening im middle of belly; under tail- 

 coverts tawny or tawny-washed ; wing-quills fuscous ; edge of wing and of first 

 primary white; bill yellow, darkening on tip of upper mandible. Immature: 

 Without black on head and neck ; chin whitish ; throat and breast washed with 

 light brown. Do'a'iiv \tiunij: Sootv black, the down interspersed sparingly with 

 longer glossy black hairs; a tuft of bright orange bristles on throat, — stiff and 

 inclined forward ; and a liright red excrescence at base of upper mandible. I,cngth 

 8.00-9.50 (203.2-241.31; wing 4.20 (106.7); t^il 2.00 (50.8); bill .83 (21.1); 

 tarsus 1.36 (34.5); middle tnc and claw 1. 85 (47). 



Recognition Marks. — Chewink size, but stouter in appearance; marsh- 

 skulking habits; slicii \cll(iwisli bill. 



Nesting. — Nest: a raised platform of grasses and sedge, usually placed cen- 

 trally in grass tussock of swamp. B(/(/s: 8-15, dull butTy or ochraceous-buff (and 

 so darker than eggs of Rallus lirgiuiauus ) : spotted and dotted with dark brown 

 and with purplish shell-markings. .\v. size, 1.24X.00 (31.5x22.9). Season: 

 c. May 20; one brood. 



Genera! Range. — Temperate North America, breeding chiefly northward, 

 but less c()mm(.)nlv on the Pacific Coast. Casuallv north to southern Greenland. 

 South to the West Indies and northern SoiUh America. 



Range in Washington. — Not common summer resident and migrant both 

 sides (if the Cascade Mountains. 



Authorities. — Rhoads, Auk, X. Jan. 93, p. 17. T. Rli. D'. D-. B. E. 



Specimens.— (U. of W. ) Trov. P'. C. E? 



"AS thin as a rail" does not refer to the Lincoln \ariety of split trees, but 



to Ibis bird and its congeners. The birds are bilaterally compressed in order to 



enable them to slip readily between the close-set stalks of vegetation. And 



'us they do with almost incredible rapidity, and without leaving a wake of 



*ion bv which thev ma\' be traced. 



