THE CLAPPER BAIL. 471 



BALLUS ELEGANS Audubon. 

 Marsh Hen. . 



Rcdlus elegans, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1837) 27. 

 JRallus crepitans, Wilson. Am. Oru., VII. (1813). 



DESCRIPTION. 



Upper parts olive-brown, with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black, most 

 numerous on the back ; line from the base of the bill over the eye dull orange-yel- 

 low; space before and behind the eye brownish-cinereous; throat and lower eyelid 

 white; neck before and breast bright rufous-chestnut; sides and abdomen, and under 

 tail coverts, with transverse bands of brownish-black and white, the dark bands 

 being the wider; tibiae dull yellowish-white, with spots and transverse bars of ashy- 

 brown; upper wing coverts reddish-chestnut; under wing coverts black, with trans- 

 verse lines of white. Sexes alike. 



Total length (from tip of, bill to end of tail), about seventeen inches ; wing, six 

 and fifty one-hundredths ; tail, three inches. 



This beautiful bird is so exceedingly rare in New Eng- 

 land, that it can be regarded only as a straggler from its 

 southern home. It has all the habits of the following 

 species ; and its eggs exactly resemble those of the Clapper 

 Kail, but average about one-fifth larger. 



EALLUS CEEPITANS. Gmelin. 

 The Clapper Bail; Mud-hen. 



RaUus crepitans, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 713. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 

 (1813) 112. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 33; V. 570. /J., Birds Am., V. (1842) 165. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Upper parts light ashy-olive, with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black, most 

 numerous on the back; a line of dull yellowish-white from the base of the bill over 

 the eye; space before and behind the eye ashy; throat and under eyelid white; 

 neck before and breast pale reddish-yellow, or tawny, tinged with bluish-ashy on 

 the breast; sides, abdomen, under tail coverts, and tibiae, with transverse bands of 

 brownish-black and white, the former being the wider; upper wing coverts brown- 

 ish-olive ; under wing coverts black, with transverse lines of white ; iris pale-yellow. 



Total length (to end of tail), about fourteen inches; wing, five and a half; tail, 

 two and a half inches. 



This bird, so well known in the Middle and Southern 

 States, is rarely found in New England as a summer visi- 

 tor. It has been known to breed in the most southern 

 localities in these States ; but the instances are few, and it 

 can be called only an accidental species in New England. 



