610 THE CALIFORNIA RAIL, 
No. 242. 
CALIFORNIA BLACK RAIL. 
A. O. U. No, 216.1. Creciscus coturniculus Ridgw. 
Description.—Adu/t; Head, breast, and upper belly blackish slate, darker 
on crown; a large patch on hind-neck dark chestnut ; remaining plumage brownish 
black; bill black. /mmature: Similar to adult but lighter on breast, whitening 
on throat, shaded with chestnut on hind-crown. Downy young: “Entirely 
bluish black.” Length 5.00-6.00 (127-152.4) ; wing 2.70 (68.6) ; tail 1.23 (31.2); 
bill .57 (1.45); tarsus .78 (19.8); middle toe and claw .95 (24.1). 
Recognition Marks.—Warbler size, but appearing Sparrow size. Marsh- 
haunting habits; diminutive size and dark coloration distinctive. 
Nesting.—Not known to breed in Washington, but probably does so. Nest: 
of the finer grasses lining a cup-shaped depression in ground of marsh. Eggs: 
9-10, white or creamy white, sparingly sprinkled with dots of reddish brown, 
more heavily about the larger end. Av. size, 1.00 x .80 (25.4 x 20.3). 
General Range.—Pacific Coast district north to Washington. 
Range in Washington.—Summer resident, probably on both sides of Cas- 
cades. A lay record from Sprague. 
Authority—Porzana jamaicensis, Bowles, Auk, Vol. XXIII., April 1906, 
p. 141. 
“ABOUT as difficult to observe as a field mouse,” said Mr. Chapman in 
speaking of the eastern bird. The comparison is very modest, for most of us 
have seen field mice. This bird is so tiny as contrasted with the sedge forests 
of its home, ample shelter for Coots and Bitterns, that we feel sure Dame 
Nature must have laughed as she set this “little Partridge” in the grass and 
bade him hide, as he valued his life. 
The type specimen of C. coturniculus was taken on the Farrallones, 
October 13, 1859, and this for years remained unique. Only recently has 
sufficient material come to hand to enable Mr. Brewster to point out the 
probability that this Farallone specimen was a young bird, distinguished by an 
unusual amount of white spotting on the back, and to show that the Pacific 
Coast birds are differentiated from eastern birds on other grounds*. 
The Washington record is based upon three specimens seen by Mr. 
Bowles in the South Tacoma swamp on November 10, 1900. Each bird was 
flushed once, flying low over the grass for but a short distance before 
plumping down out of sight. In spite of the fact that he had with him an 
excellent bird-dog, it was impossible to flush any of them a second time. The 
flight Mr. Bowles describes as being something between that of a wren and a 
a. The Auk, Vol XXIV., April, 1907, p. 205-210. 
