142 HISTORY OF THE 



nest on a marsh in northern Illinois, is buff white, sparingly 

 marked with fine brownish dots and obscure shell stains; very 

 small, only .99x.76. 



SUBGENUS CRECISCUS CABANIS. 

 "Above, blackish brown, speckled with white." 



Porzana jamaicensis (GMEL.). 



BLACK RAIL. 

 PLATE X. 



Summer resident; rare. Arrive about the middle of March 

 to first of April; begin laying about the middle of May; return 

 in October. 



B. 556. R. 576. C. 681. G. 270, 66. U. 216. 



HABITAT. Temperate North America, north to Massachusetts, 

 Nebraska and Oregon, south through the greater part of South 

 America to Chili; West Indies. 



SP. CHAB. ' ' Smaller than P. noveboracensis, and the smallest of North Ameri- 

 can Rattidce. Adult: Head, neck and lower parts dark plumbeous or slate 

 color, darkest, and often nearly black, on the pilenm; abdomen and crissum 

 brownish black, marked with transverse bars of white; nape and back dark 

 chestnut or reddish sepia brown, the other upper parts brownish black, with 

 small dots and irregular transverse bars of white; primaries immaculate dusky, 

 or with small spots of white. Young: Similar, but lower parts dull ashy, the 

 throat inclining to white, and the crown tinged with reddish brown. Downy 

 young: Entirely bluish black. Bill black; iris red; feet bright yellowish green." 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 6.00 11.50 3.25 1.35 .90 .50 



Female... 5.50 10.50 3.00 1.30 .85 .50 



This little species does not appear to be common anywhere 

 within its wide and extended range. Its habits are similar to 

 those of the family, though it seems to prefer for its haunts the 

 swails and moist lands where the grasses are short. 



Its nest is placed in a depression on marshy ground, and 

 composed of grass blades; in form, round and deep. Eggs six 

 to ten, 1.02x.80; creamy white, thickly sprinkled with small 

 dots of reddish brown; in form, oval. Two eggs the remains 

 of a set of eight, collected near Manhattan, Kansas, and loaned 

 to me for examination by Dr. 0. P. Blachly measure: l.OSx 

 .75, 1.05x.78. 



