FAMILY RALLIDAE 339 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF RALLIDAE 



1. Flanks plain, without bars 3 



2. Flanks barred with black and white 10 



3. Smaller, wing less than 130 mm. 



Uniform crake, Amaurolimnas concolor guatemalensis, p. 339 



4. Larger, wing more than 150 mm 5 



5. Without a prominent frontal shield above the base of the bill; bill longer 



than the head (genus Aramides) 7 



6. With a prominent frontal shield above the base of the bill; bill not longer 



than the head 8 



7. Head and neck gray, somewhat darker on the occiput; under wing coverts 



cinnamon-brown, barred with black. 



Gray-necked wood rail, Aramides cajanea, p. 341 

 Head and upper neck chestnut-brown; under wing coverts black, barred 

 with white (in some partly mixed with cinnamon). 



Rufous-crowned wood rail, Aramides axillaris, p. 346 



8. Toes with prominent lateral membranes or lobes on each joint; frontal 



shield small, not extended on forehead back of the eyes. 



American coot, Fulica amcricana americana, p. 363 

 Toes without lateral membranes or lobes ; frontal shield large, much ex- 

 panded on forehead, and extended back to center of eyes or farther. . . 9 



9. Bill stouter ; nostril small, its width about one half its length ; feathering 



in front of eye terminated in a nearly straight vertical line along the 

 base of the bill ; adult brilliant green and blue ; immature with more or 



less blue on wings Purple gallinule, Porphyrula martinica, p. 360 



Bill more slender; nostril elongated, its length much more than twice its 

 width; feathering in front of eye projecting at an angle on the base of 

 the bill ; coloration slate gray, black on the head. 



Common gallinule, Gallinula chloropus, p. 357 



10. Back mixed brown and black, streaked narrowly with white (genus 



Porsaim) 11 



Back plain reddish or grayish brown, without streaks (genus Laterallus) 12 



11. Larger, wing 100 mm. or more; space in front of eye black or dark gray. 



Sora, Porsana Carolina, p. 350 



Smaller, wing 70 mm. or less; a prominent white line from base of bill 



to above eye. .Yellow-breasted rail, Porsana flaviventer flaviventcr, p. 348 



12. Sides of neck and breast gray; rump and upper tail coverts black barred 



narrowly with white Gray-breasted rail, Laterallus exilis, p. 355 



Sides of neck and breast reddish brown; rump and upper tail coverts black 

 or brownish black, without bars. 



White-throated rail, Laterallus albigularis, p. 351 



AMAUROLIMNAS CONCOLOR GUATEMALENSIS (Lawrence): Uniform 

 Crake; Rascon Castano 



Corethrura Gautemalensis (sic) Lawrence, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 

 June 1863, p. 106. (Guatemala.) 



A rail of mediitm size, rufescent-brovvn on lower surface; oliva- 

 ceous-brown above. 



