138 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



.10 or more in width), the ground-color varying from clear brown 

 (darker next to white bars) to brownish black ; upper parts vary- 

 ing from fulvous-brown to an almost ochrey tint, the blackish stripes 

 very sharply defined ; breast, etc., deep cinnamon, usually distinctly 

 paler posteriorly and medially ; length 17.00-19.00, wing 5.90-6.80 

 (6.43), culmen 2.12-2.50 (2.35), least depth of bill .27-.3S (.30), depth 

 at base .50-.55 (.52), tarsus 2.10-2.40 (2.28), middle toe 1.85-2.50 

 (2.07). Eggs 1.63 X 1-22. Hob. Fresh-water marshes of eastern 

 United States, north to Wisconsin, southern Michigan, Ohio, etc. 

 (casually to Massachusetts, Maine, and Ontario), west to the Great 



Plains 208. R. elegans AUD. King Rail. 



c 2 . Flanks, etc., with lighter bars very narrow (averaging decidedly less 

 than .10 wide', the ground-color varying from clear hair-brown 

 to cinnamon-brown ; upper parts umber-brown or olive, distinctly, 

 but usually not sharply, striped with blackish brown ; breast, etc., 

 uniform deep cinnamon, not distinctly paler posteriorly or me- 

 dially. 



d l . Flanks hair-brown, distinctly barred with pure white, the white 

 bars bordered on each side by a blackish bar ; ground-color of 

 upper parts olive ; lores dark brown, bordered above by a stripe 

 of pale cinnamon ; length about 15.00-16.00, wing 5.70-6.40 

 (6.03), culmen 2.25-2.50 (2.37), least depth of bill .29-.3S (.31), 

 depth at base .50, tarsus 1.88-2.10 (1.93), middle toe 1.75-1.90 

 (1.81). Hob. Eastern coast of Lower California (La Paz ; 

 Espiritu Santo Island, etc.). 



209. R. beldingi EIDGW. Belding's Rail 



d*. Flanks cinnamon-brown, indistinctly barred with pale cinnamon 

 and rusty whitish, but without darker bars; ground-color of 

 upper parts umber-brown ; lores rather pale brown, bordered 

 above by a white stripe ; wing 5.90-6.00 (5.95), culmen 2.00- 

 2.40 (2.17), least depth of bill .22-.30 (.26), tarsus 1.80-2.08 

 (1.93), middle toe 1.70-1.92 (1.81). Hab. Central and western 



Mexico. 



R. tenuirostris (LAWK.). Mexican King Rail. 1 



a 2 . Smaller (wing less than 4.50). 



Above olive-brownish, broadly striped with blackish ; wing-coverts deep 

 rusty, or chestnut-rufous ; breast, etc., deep cinnamon ; flanks and axil- 

 lars dusky, barred with white. Immature specimens with lower parts 

 mixed more or less extensively with black. Length 8.12-10.50, wing 

 3.90^.25, culmen 1.45-1.60, tarsus 1.30-1.40, middle toe 1.20-1.40. Eggs 

 1.24 X -94. Hab. Whole of temperate North America, north to British 

 Columbia and Hudson's Bay, south to Guatemala and Cuba. 



212. R. virginianus LINN. Virginia Rail. 



1 Rallut elegans var. tenuirostrit LAWR., Am. Nat. viii. Feb. 1874, 111. 



