472 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



It begins to build about the 10th of May. The nest is 

 placed on the ground in a marsh, sometimes in a tussock of 

 grass or on a pile of seaweed : it is constructed of a large 

 mass of dried grasses and weeds, and is but little hollowed. 

 The eggs are from five to seven or eight in number. Their 

 form is usually ovoidal, and their primary color dull creamy- 

 drab or dirty-buff. This is marked more or less thickly with 

 spots and blotches of different shades of brown and obscure 

 spots of lilac. The nearest in resemblance to these eggs 

 are those of the Woodcock ; but, when a number of each are 

 placed side by side, the eggs of the latter may be readily 

 identified by their generally more pyriform shape. The 

 dimensions of the eggs of the Clapper Rail vary from 

 1.82 by 1.25 inch to 1.63 by 1.14 inch. The greater 

 number of spots are more of a purplish tint; and they 

 are generally rather sparingly distributed over the entire 



egg- 



The habits of this species are similar to those of the fol- 

 lowing ; but the Clapper Rail seems to prefer for its home 

 the marshes in the neighborhood of salt water. 



BALLUS YIBGINIANUS. Linnaeus. 

 The Virginia Rail. 



RdUus Virginianus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 263. Wils. Am. Orn., VH. 

 (1813) 109. Nutt. Man., II. (1834)'20o. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 41; V. 673. 

 76., Birds Am., V. (1842) 174. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Much smaller than either of the preceding, but resembling them in form, and 

 resembling also R. elegans in colors; upper parts olive-brown, with longitudinal 

 stripes of brownish-black ; line from base of bill over the eye reddish-white ; throat 

 whij e ; neck before and breast bright-rufous ; abdomen and under tail coverts with 

 transverse bands of black and white, the former being the wider ; upper wing coverta 

 bright rufous-chestnut; under wing coverts black, with transverse lines of whit*- 

 iris bright-red. 



Total length (from tip of bill to end of tail), about seven and a half inches; wina 

 four; tail, one and a half inches. 



This handsome species is pretty generally distributed 

 tl.roughout New England as a summer resident. Unlike 



