LEAST WATER RAIL. 361 
Bill black. Iris red. Feet bright yellowish-green, claws dusky. 
The head and all the lower parts are very dark purplish-grey, on the 
upper part of the head approaching to black, on the fore part of the 
neck faintly undulated with paler, on the sides and hind parts barred 
with greyish-white; the lower wing-coverts barred with grey and white ; 
the lower tail-coverts of the latter colour. The hind neck and fore 
part of the back dark chestnut ; the rest of the back and tail-co- 
verts greyish-black, transversely barred with white. Wing-coverts and 
inner secondaries reddish-brown, with white spots; the other quills 
more dusky. The tail-feathers also reddish-brown, barred with dusky 
and marked with white spots. 
Length to end of tail 6 inches ; wing from flexure 37; tail 11’; ; bill 
along the ridge 4, along the edge of lower mandible ?; bare part of 
tibia 4; tarsus 1; hind toe and claw 4; middle toe and claw 1, outer 
toe and claw 4; inner toe and claw 3. 
Young a few days old. Plate CCCXLIX. Fig. 2. 
While yet covered with down, the young is black all over; the bill 
bright yellow, with the point of the upper mandible, and a band across 
the middle of the lower, black ; the feet dull yellowish-green, the claws 
dusky. 
Since the above was written, I have received a letter from my 
friend J. Trupeav, M. D., in which he says that his father shot a con- 
siderable number of these Rails last winter in the vicinity of New 
Orleans. 
