VIRGINIA RAILS (Rail us Virginia nits) 



are in plumage almost perfect miniatures of 



King Rails, but they measure only 10 in. or 



less in length. They are more or less abun- 

 dant in fresh-water marshes throughout the 



United States and southern Canada, breed- 

 ing in the northern parts and wintering in 



the southern parts of their range. They 



live usually in dryer portions of grassy 



marshes than Soras commonly inhabit, and 



usually nest on the edges, making a small 



mound of grasses and flags upon which the 



eight to twelve buffy-white, brown-specked 



eggs are laid. The young, like those of all 



rails, are hatched covered with a jet-black 



down, leaving the nest and following their 



parent within a few hours after emerging 



from the eggs. 



SORAS (Porzana Carolina), or Carolina 



Rails, are comparatively small, being only 



a trifle over 8 in. long. Immature birds 



have a white face and buff breast, while 



adults have a black face and blue-gray 



breast. Soras are the most abundant of 



our rails, breeding throughout the northern 



half of the United States and southern Can- 

 ada and spending the winter in southern 



United States. Although of such small size, 



they are killed in almost countless numbers 



for the sake of the small but delicate morsels 



that their bodies afford. 



YELLOW RAIL (Coturnicops noveboracensis). This is a diminutive 



species under 7 in. in length, inhabiting eastern North America, breeding 



in the northern states and Canada and wintering in the southern ones. 



So small and secretive as to 

 be seldom observed. 



BLACK RAIL (Creciscus 

 jamaicensis). Tiniest of our 

 rails; but 5 or 6 in. in length. 

 Also found in eastern North 

 America ; replaced on the Pa- 

 cific coast by the very sim- 

 ilar Farallon Rail. 



VIRGINIA RAIL 

 SORA 



^cAVovm ^a,'A 



NiUcY^ \^\A; 



27 



