378 ALECTORIDBS. 



6. coturniculus. — FARALLON RAIL. 



Porzana jamaiceiisis, var. coliirnicu/us, " Baird MS." — Ridgw. Am. Nat. VIII. Feb. 1874, 111. 

 Porzana jamaicensis, b. colnrniculus, CouES, Birds N. W. 1874, 540. 



Porsana jamaicensis coturniculus, Ridgw. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Vol. 3, 1881, 202, 222; Nora. N. 

 Am. B. 1881, 110. 576 a. — Couii.s, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, no. eS2. 



Hab. Temperate North America, north to Massachusetts, Northern Illinois (breeding), Kan- 

 sas, Oregon, and California ; south through Western South America to Chili ; Cuba ; Jamaica ; 

 Bermudas. The race cohirniculus conflned to the Farallon Islands, California, 



Sp. (_^h.ar. Smaller than P. noveboracensis, and the smallest of North American liallidw. 

 AJult : Head, neck, and lower parts dark plumbeous or slate-color, darkest, and often neaily black, 



\ 



P. jmnaiccnsis. 



on the pileum ; abdomen and crissum lirownish 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. Younrj : Similar, luit lower parts dull ashy, the throat inclining to white, and the crown 

 tinged with reddish brown. Doumij young : " Entirely bluish black " (Cassik). Bill black ; iris 



,^m 



wm^^" 



p. jajiuiicensis coturniculus. 



red; "feet bright yellowish green" (AuDnBON^). Total length, about 5.00 inches ; wing 2.50- 

 3.20 ; culmen, .50-.60 ; tarsus, .85-.90 ; middle toe, .80-1.00. 



Several Chilian specimens in the collection of the U. S. National Museum appear to be e.xactly 

 like specimens from the United States. A fine adult from San Francisco, Cal., in Mr. Henshaw's 

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

 but one (No. 12862) from the Farallon Islands, off the coast of California, differs in so many par- 

 ticulars that Professor Baird has described it as a distinct local race (P. coturniculus), witli the 

 following distinctive characters : Back without white specks ; depth of bill .15 of an inch, instead 

 of .20-.25, the culmen being as long as the maximum in true P. jamaicensis. The general size is 

 also smaller. 



Bo far as we are informed, this species — the smallest of our Xorth American 

 Rails — is of infrequent occurrence on the Atlantic coast. It is known to occur from 

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



' In an adult male, killed Jniv; 6, 1879, near Washington, D. C, the fresh colors of the " soft parts" 

 were as follows : Bill entirely deep black ; iris bright brick-red ; legs and feet brown, much the same color 

 as the wiug-eoverts. 



