384 Simmons, The Louisiana Clapper Rail. [j^iy 



that the birds were fully as common in winter as in summer, if 

 not more so. In travelling through the grass the birds had well- 

 beaten paths about six inches wide, and from the way these paths 

 were beaten out in the vicinity of the bayous, it would appear that 

 the birds were much more common. 



Marshes inhabited by Rails are always intersected by numerous 

 well-worn pathways leading through the tall grass, the grass being 

 pushed to either side and the "marsh hair" being trampled and 

 beaten down into the mud. These pathways are usually about 

 five inches wide at the bottom. 



XII. Discussion. 



The Louisiana Clapper Rail is fairly common and resident 

 from Louisiana to Corpus Christi Bay. It is apparent that the 

 Caribbean Clapper Rail rarely, if ever, appears in Texas. 



The only records of the latter in the United States are the two 

 specimens from Texas in 1889 (Sennett) and two specimens men- 

 tioned in Mr. Singley's 1893 paper. Undoubtedly Mr. Singley 

 merely followed the lead of Mr. Sennett, as stated before. So the 

 reader can see that 211.2 Rallus longirostris caribceus is included 

 in the A. O. U. Check-List of North American Birds on the record 

 of Mr. Sennett's two specimens from Texas, the identification of 

 which he himself later questioned and virtually changed. Would 

 it not seem best to drop this bird from the Check-List and extend 

 the range of Rallus crepitans saturatus to include Texas? 



