RAILS, GALLINULES AND COOTS—Family Rallide 
KING RAIL 
208. Rallus elegans. 18 in. 
Back handsomely patterned with black, olive-brown — 
and gray; wing coverts reddish-brown; neck and breast, | 
rich cinnamon-brown, brightest on the breast. Sides | 
sharply barred with black and white. This species is 
the handsomest of the rails, and is the most distinctly By 
and brightly marked. They are excellent runners and | 
are very difficult to start from the marsh grass within * 
which they are concealed. They are usually found in | 
fresh water marshes, while the next species is most 
abundant in salt marshes; they are both often found in 
the same place and must be seen at close range to dis-— 
tinguish them, 
Notes.—A loud “bup, bup, bup’ 
in a roll. (Chapman). 
Nest.—Of grass and weeds on the ground in marshes. 
The eggs are pale buff, spotted with reddish-brown 
(1G x22) Jume: 
Range.—Breeds from the Gulf coast north to Conn., 
Ont., and Minn. Winters in southern U. S. 
b 
repeated and ending 
