RAILS, GALLINULES AND COOTS Family Rallidae 

 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 

 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 " repeated and ending 

 in a roll. ( Chapman ) . 



Nest. Of grass and weeds on the ground in marshes. 

 The eggs are pale buff, spotted with reddish-brown 

 (1.6x 1.2) ; June. 



Range. Breeds from the Gulf coast north to Conn., 

 Ont., and Minn. Winters in southern U. S. 



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