RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS. 



139 



nnd A. giganteus of Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, and 

 Florida. Tliey frecjuont the borders of wooiled streams and swamps, 

 and at times the uplands. Their flight is short, and when on the wing 

 their legs dangle below them. Like the Herons, they |)er(h in trees. 

 Their prolonged, melancholy call has won for them the name "Crying- 

 bird." Their usual note is a loud, rather high ivah-rcp-ow ; the last 

 syllable is drawn out into a wail, and the efTect is most grews<mie. 

 Courlans feed to a large extent f)n land shells {A7n/>iill<iri<i), and, as 

 Prof. VV. B. Barrows has shown, the tip of the Courlan's bill is some- 

 times turned slightly to one side, an evident result of forcing it into 

 the spiral opening of the shell to extract the animal. 



207* Aramus giganteus {Bouap.). Limpkin ; Cuyino-riiu> ; C'ovr- 



i.AN. (Soc l'"ij^. 24.; All. — Glossy olivu-lirown, tiie t'l'sitiier.-s of tlie lieiul and 

 ncek narrowly, tiuisu of tiie l)ody broadly, stript'd with wliiti'; win^jts aiid tad 

 more bronzy. Im. — Similar, but paler and duller. L., l'.^'Ou; NV., l;5-00; Tar., 

 4-50 ; B., 4-25. 



Ji'aiujv. — Central Aiiieriea and Wct^t Indifs north to Rio Grande Valley 

 and Florida. 



A'fAC, of li'avL's. twiu's, etc., in a bush or Piiiall tree. I'^'fj", four to seven, 

 pale bully white, blotched, stained, and speckled w ith light ciiuuunou-brow n, 

 2-30 X 1-70. 



This is a locally disti'il)nted species in Florida. Its general habits 

 are described in the remarks on the family Aramida. 



Family Rallid.e. Rails, GALLiNa'LES, and Coots. 



The one hundred and eighty species contained in this family are 

 distril)uted (hronghoiit the greater part of the world, fifteen sneeies 

 inhabiting North America. Kails and Oallinules are not strictly gre- 

 garious, but are generally iissocnated through a comnumity of inter- 

 ests; Coots, however, are usually found in flocks. Kails iidiabit grassy 

 marshes, in which they seek safety by ruiniing or hiding, taking to 

 wing when pursued oidy as a last resort. Their flight is then short 

 and labored, and with dangling legs I hey soon drop back into cover. 

 Nevertheless, they perform extemlcd nngrations, traveling hundreds of 

 miles without resting. (Jallinules live JU'ar the marshy borders of bodies 

 of water, while the more arpiatic Coots resemble some Ducks in habits. 



KKV T(j TIIK SPKCIKS. 



I. Rill over l-T.'. 

 A. ("hecks below the eye cinnaiiion-nifuus. lik<' the breast; flaid<s blaek 

 barred with white; ujiper parts rich olivc-bniwii streaked with black. 



'JOS. KlN.i H.MI.. 



JB. Cheek below the eye gray; flanks irenerally irray or brownish, barred 

 with white; upper parts generally grayish, streaked with black. 



'Jll. Ci.AiM'EK Kaii. and races. 



I. -11 



