CAYENNE WOOD RAIL 



but of much smaller (sometimes very small) 

 size and with shorter legs and neck. The 

 bill varies from long and slender to short and 

 more or less conical, the wings are usually 

 short and rounded and the tail very short and 

 held cocked up. They are birds of swamps 

 and marshes and usually have the toes length- 

 ened to increase their support for walking on 

 soft mud. A few species (the ccots and galli- 

 nules) swim well and spend much of their 

 time on the water, but the majority of them 

 skulk in the reeds, grass and undergrowth in 

 wet places and are not easily flushed frcm 

 their concealment. They are slow fliers; 

 nevertheless some of them perform extensive 

 migrations. Most of them have short, sharp 

 alarm notes, and often curious, prolonged 

 calls heard chiefly or only during the breed- 

 ing season. 



i. Aramides cajanea cajanea (P. S. L.-Muller) 

 Cayenne Wood Rail 



Sexes similar. Length, about 304 mm. (12.00 



in.); tail, about 63 mm. (2.50 in.). Back 

 brownish olive changing to black on rump; 

 head and hind neck slate gray, extending to 

 upper back, the head tinged with chestnut; 

 tail black; sides of head and neck gray shading 

 to white on throat; chest and breast orange 

 chestnut; abdomen black; thighs slaty gray. 

 Bill rather short, greenish orange at base; bare 

 skin around eye red; feet red. 



