154 Scott, Birds of the Gulf Coast of Florida. [April 
those of the other forms of salt water Rails that I am acquainted with, 
and the number of young in a brood is about the same as with crep/tans. 
It is probable that two broods are raised, or it may be that individuals 
differ as to breeding time, as I have found downy young from early in 
May till about the first week in July. During the mating season the male 
birds are very pugnacious and resent any intrusion from others of the 
species. At such times I have seen them have pitched battles, and finally, 
one giving in and taking to flight, the victor would pursue the vanquished 
on the wing for several hundred feet and then return to the neighborhood 
of the particular tuft of grass that sheltered the nest. At such times, on 
alighting, the peculiar rattling notes so characteristic of the bird are in- 
dulged in with more than ordinary vigor. 
On INDIVIDUAL COLOR VARIATION IN ftallus longtrostris scottiz.— 
For the purpose of making the comparisons which follow more intel- 
ligible to such of my co-workers as have not seen this form, the descrip- 
tion of an average specimen of this new race is here appended. 
Adult @, Collection of W. E. D. Scott, No. 5047. Tarpon Springs, Flor- 
ida, December 27,1887. Above deep olive brown, the feathers of the inter- 
scapular region edged broadly with a lighter shade of drab, more or less 
suffused with olive. This edging of the feathers is also present toa less 
degree on the upper posterior half of the neck. From here forward the 
color, deep olive brown, is immaculate, gradually shading into drab on 
the sides of head and face. Area in front of eye dark olive-brown shading 
gradually into the drab of the sides of face. A more or less distinct line of 
a lighter shade of olive brown, or often cinnamon, extends from the upper 
mandible to the area above the eye. Beneath, breast and neck ashy olive 
witha very perceptible cinnamon tinge, becoming whitish on upper throat 
andchin. Sides, flanks, and axillars deep olive-brown barred with white. 
Lower tail-coverts white with scattered olive-brown markings. 
The following notes on the individual variation in color are based on a 
series of fifty adult birds taken at all seasons of the year and about equally 
divided as tosex. Above the variation is not great though the width of 
the edging on the feathers of the interscapular region and of the larger 
wing-coverts varies, being widest and most pronounced in the lighter 
colored birds. The tendency of the darker individuals is to have these 
markings suffused with dark olive brown. The superciliary line and 
lighter areas of the head also are often obscured by a similar shade of 
color in the darker birds. 
Beneath and on the flanks and sides the variation is much more marked. 
Twelve of the fifty birds have tawny yellow, and in three cases decidedly 
bright cinnamon, breasts. But in all of these there is a varying suffusion 
of olive in the region where the neck and breast join. The neck proper 
is of about the same shade as the breast, though there is a tendency of the 
cinnamon shade to become lighter and finally to change insensibly to 
white on the throat and chin. Six of the fifty birds are clear dark 
olive beneath, becoming very little lighter on the throat, and lacking 
any tinge or suggestion of the cinnamon shade, The amount of whitish 
