FAMILY HELIORNITHIDAE 365 



In the hand the spotted rail has the throat and under tail coverts 

 white ; the rest of the lower surface black, streaked on the neck, and 

 barred elsewhere with white; above blackish on the head and neck, 

 brown mixed with black on the back and wings, streaked narrowly 

 everywhere with white. The wing measures about 120 mm. 



LATERALLUS JAMAICENSIS (Gmelin) : Black Rail 

 Rallus jamaicensis Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 718. (Jamaica.) 



A black rail is reported by Stephen T. Harty (Cassinia, no. 48, 1964- 

 1965, p. 19) as seen July 6 and 7, 1963, near the International High- 

 way west of Chepo at a point 16.2 miles by auto speedometer from 

 the road circle at the Tocumen Airport. The observation was made 

 in company with George B. Reynard, Philip A. Livingston, Henry 

 Matthews, and Thomas C. Crebbs, Jr. On July 6 two birds called re- 

 peatedly so that Reynard was able to make a tape recording, and 

 finally Harty located a globular nest in tall grass that contained 3 

 fresh eggs. On the following day Matthews had a brief view of a 

 "small dark sparrowlike rail." The eggs, from a photograph sub- 

 mitted to me and the measurements 23.5-24 X 18.5-19 mm. (taken by 

 James Bond) in appearance and size resemble those of the black rail 

 {Laterallus jamaicensis). They are distinctly smaller than eggs re- 

 corded for Laterallus alhigularis and L. exilis. Those of the yellow- 

 breasted rail Porsana flaviventer flaviventer, not yet recorded, may be 

 of similar size or smaller. As the general color of Porsana flaviventer 

 is light buffy brown it does not fit the description of the bird that 

 was seen. The area also is not a suitable haunt for the yellow- 

 breasted rail, which is a species of open marshes where grasses stand 

 in shallow water. 



On January 4, 1964, with Rudolpho Hinds as assistant, I visited 

 the locality described. We located the spot without difficulty but could 

 not find the rails. 



The black rail is recorded by Russell (Amer. Orn. Union Ornith, 

 Mon, 1, 1964, p. 58) in British Honduras, and there are uncertain re- 

 ports for Guatemala and Colombia,] 



Family HELIORNITHIDAE : Finfoots ; Zambullidores 

 de Agua 



The three species of this family are tropical in distribution, one in 

 Africa, another in southeastern Asia, and the third, the smallest, in 

 the Americas. Structurally, they are allied to rails, but except for 

 museum specimens, are little known as naturalists have had limited 



