



I \ 



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378 



ALECTORIDKH. 



h. coturniculuB. — FABALLON BAIL. 



['iirzanaJamaicni/iiSfVar.culunticuliis, " lUiiiD MS." — liiuiiw. Am. Nat. VIII. Fi-b. 1874, 111. 

 ruruoiajamakciisis, h. eutuniicii/iin, Col'K.s, liilils N, W. \SH, u4(). 



PomiHu jtuiKiiecii.si.i cultiniiculus, liiixiW. I'loc. U. S. Nut. Mils. Vol. 3, 1881, 202, 222; Num. N. 

 Am. I!. 1881, no. 57ti '/. — I'm i.s, (■hetk List, 2(1 nl. 1SS2, no. tJ82. 



Had. Tcniiic'iiitc North America, north to MassiiclmsL'tt.-<, Noitheni Illinois (hivciliii;;), Kaii- 

 •sas, ()ri'i,'on, and Caliloriiia ; tiouth thi'ou;,'h Wi'sU'iii South America to C'iiili ; ('iiha ; .Jamaica ; 

 liermiidas. Tlie race cotunticiilun coiidned to the Farallon Islands, Caliloriiia. 



Sr. Cii.vn. .Smaller than P. twiubontcciisis, and tiie smallest of North American Ittilliil'i. 

 Adult : Head, neck, and lower parts dark iiliimheoiis or slate-color, darkest, and olten nearly Mack. 



P, janmiccnsis. 



on the pileum ; abdomen and crisstim bro\vni»ii black, marked with transverse bni-s of white ; iiajic 

 .and back dark chestnut or reddisli sepia-brown, the other upper parts brownish black, witli sinali 

 dot.s and irref,'ular transverse bars of white ; piimaries immaculate dusky, or with small spiit> df 

 white. Yiiumj : Similar, but lower ])aifs dull asjiy, the throat inclining,' to white, and thecinun 

 tinged with reddish brown. Doinui iiomiii : " l']iitirely bluish black" (Cassin). Bill black : \n< 



P. jantakensis cotiirnkulus. 



inm 



red; "feet bright yellowish ffiveii " (Audi'Uon i). Totid len>;th, about 5.00 inches ; win^,' r^riii- 

 S.^O; culmen, .50-.G() ; tarsus, .8r)-.90 ; middle toe, .S()-l.()(». 



Several Cliilian s])eciniens in the collection of the V. S. National ^Museum appear to be e.\;ully 

 like specimens from the United States. A fine adult from San Francisco, Cal., in ^Ir. Hensliaw's 

 collection, also agrees minutely with eastern specimens and those from Chili, mentioned above ; 

 but one (No. 12802) from the Farallon Islands, olf the coast of California, differs in so many ]iar- 

 ticulars that Professor Baird has described it as a distinct local race (P. cntimnculus), witii I lie 

 following distinctive characters : Back without white specks ; depth of bill .1.5 of an inch, iiistra.l 

 of .2()-.2."), the culmen being as long as the maximum in true 1'. jmiudcevsis. The general size is 

 also smaller. 



So far as we are informed, this species — the smallest of our Xortli Ameriiaii 

 Rails — is of infrequent occurrence on the Atlantic cocast. Tt is known to occur froin 

 the Delaware marshes about Philadelphia southward ; and is said to be more comiiiou 



' In an ndiilt male, killed Jinie 6, 1879, near W.nshington, D. C, the fresh colors nf the "soft parts" 

 were ns follows : Bill entirely deep black ; iris bright liiick-rcd ; legs and feet brown, much the same ('(lnv 

 as the wing-coverts. 



